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Second Empire style
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Second Empire style
Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style or Haussmann style, is a highly eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts originating in the Second French Empire. It was characterised by elements drawn from many different historical styles, and also made innovative use of modern materials such as iron frameworks and glass skylights. It flourished during the reign of Emperor Napoleon III (1852–1870) and had an important influence on architecture and decoration across the rest of Europe and North America. Major examples of the style include the Opéra Garnier (1862–1875) in Paris by Charles Garnier, the Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art, the Church of Saint Augustine (1860–1871), and the Philadelphia City Hall (1871–1901). The architectural style was closely connected with Haussmann's renovation of Paris carried out during the Second Empire; the new buildings, such as the Opéra, were intended as the focal points of the new boulevards.
The Napoleon III or Second Empire style drew its inspiration from several different periods and styles, which were often combined within the same building or interior. The interior of the Opéra Garnier by Charles Garnier combined architectural elements of the French Renaissance, Palladian architecture, and French Baroque, while achieving coherence and harmony throughout. The Lions Gate of the Louvre Palace by Hector Lefuel is a Louis-Napoléon interpretation of French Renaissance architecture; few visitors to the Louvre realise it is a 19th-century addition to the building.
Another characteristic of the Napoleon III style is the adaptation of building design to its function and to the properties of the materials used.[more detail needed] Examples include the Gare du Nord railway station by Jacques Ignace Hittorff, the Church of Saint Augustine by Victor Baltard, and particularly the iron-framed structures of the market of Les Halles and the reading room of the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris, both also by Victor Baltard.
A basic principle of Napoleon III interior decoration was to leave no surface undecorated. Another principle was polychromy — an abundance of colour achieved through coloured marble, malachite, onyx, porphyry, mosaics, and silver- or gold-plated bronze. Wood panelling was often encrusted with rare and exotic woods, or darkened to resemble ebony. The façade of the Opéra Garnier employed seventeen different coloured materials, including various marbles, stones, and bronze.
Second Empire is an architectural style that was most popular in the latter half of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century. It takes its name from the architectural elements in vogue during the era of the Second French Empire. As the Second Empire style evolved from its 17th-century Renaissance foundations, it acquired a blend of earlier European styles, most notably the Baroque, often combined with mansard roofs and low, square-based domes.
The style spread rapidly and evolved as Baroque Revival architecture throughout Europe and across the Atlantic. Its suitability for large-scale application made it widely used in the design of municipal and corporate buildings. In the United States, where one of the leading architects working in the style was Alfred B. Mullett, buildings in the style were often closer to their 17th-century roots than European examples.
The dominant architectural tendency of the Second Empire was eclecticism, drawing liberally from the Gothic style, Renaissance style, and the styles dominant during the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI. The combination was derided by Émile Zola as "the opulent bastard child of all the styles". The finest example was the Opéra Garnier, begun in 1862 but not completed until 1875. The architect was Charles Garnier (1825–1898), who won the competition for the design at the age of thirty-seven. When the Empress Eugénie asked Garnier what the style of the building was called, he replied simply: "Napoleon III." At the time it was the largest opera house in the world, but much of the interior space was devoted to purely decorative purposes: grand stairways, vast foyers for promenading, and large private boxes. Another example was the Mairie, or city hall, of the 1st arrondissement of Paris, built in 1855–1861 in a neo-Gothic style by the architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff (1792–1867).
The Industrial Revolution was beginning to demand a new kind of architecture: bigger, stronger, and less expensive. The new age of railways and the enormous increase in travel it brought required new train stations, large hotels, exposition halls, and department stores in Paris. While the exteriors of most Second Empire monumental buildings usually remained eclectic, a revolution was taking place inside; following the model of The Crystal Palace in London (1851), Parisian architects began to use cast iron frames and walls of glass in their buildings.
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Second Empire style
Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style or Haussmann style, is a highly eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts originating in the Second French Empire. It was characterised by elements drawn from many different historical styles, and also made innovative use of modern materials such as iron frameworks and glass skylights. It flourished during the reign of Emperor Napoleon III (1852–1870) and had an important influence on architecture and decoration across the rest of Europe and North America. Major examples of the style include the Opéra Garnier (1862–1875) in Paris by Charles Garnier, the Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art, the Church of Saint Augustine (1860–1871), and the Philadelphia City Hall (1871–1901). The architectural style was closely connected with Haussmann's renovation of Paris carried out during the Second Empire; the new buildings, such as the Opéra, were intended as the focal points of the new boulevards.
The Napoleon III or Second Empire style drew its inspiration from several different periods and styles, which were often combined within the same building or interior. The interior of the Opéra Garnier by Charles Garnier combined architectural elements of the French Renaissance, Palladian architecture, and French Baroque, while achieving coherence and harmony throughout. The Lions Gate of the Louvre Palace by Hector Lefuel is a Louis-Napoléon interpretation of French Renaissance architecture; few visitors to the Louvre realise it is a 19th-century addition to the building.
Another characteristic of the Napoleon III style is the adaptation of building design to its function and to the properties of the materials used.[more detail needed] Examples include the Gare du Nord railway station by Jacques Ignace Hittorff, the Church of Saint Augustine by Victor Baltard, and particularly the iron-framed structures of the market of Les Halles and the reading room of the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris, both also by Victor Baltard.
A basic principle of Napoleon III interior decoration was to leave no surface undecorated. Another principle was polychromy — an abundance of colour achieved through coloured marble, malachite, onyx, porphyry, mosaics, and silver- or gold-plated bronze. Wood panelling was often encrusted with rare and exotic woods, or darkened to resemble ebony. The façade of the Opéra Garnier employed seventeen different coloured materials, including various marbles, stones, and bronze.
Second Empire is an architectural style that was most popular in the latter half of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century. It takes its name from the architectural elements in vogue during the era of the Second French Empire. As the Second Empire style evolved from its 17th-century Renaissance foundations, it acquired a blend of earlier European styles, most notably the Baroque, often combined with mansard roofs and low, square-based domes.
The style spread rapidly and evolved as Baroque Revival architecture throughout Europe and across the Atlantic. Its suitability for large-scale application made it widely used in the design of municipal and corporate buildings. In the United States, where one of the leading architects working in the style was Alfred B. Mullett, buildings in the style were often closer to their 17th-century roots than European examples.
The dominant architectural tendency of the Second Empire was eclecticism, drawing liberally from the Gothic style, Renaissance style, and the styles dominant during the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI. The combination was derided by Émile Zola as "the opulent bastard child of all the styles". The finest example was the Opéra Garnier, begun in 1862 but not completed until 1875. The architect was Charles Garnier (1825–1898), who won the competition for the design at the age of thirty-seven. When the Empress Eugénie asked Garnier what the style of the building was called, he replied simply: "Napoleon III." At the time it was the largest opera house in the world, but much of the interior space was devoted to purely decorative purposes: grand stairways, vast foyers for promenading, and large private boxes. Another example was the Mairie, or city hall, of the 1st arrondissement of Paris, built in 1855–1861 in a neo-Gothic style by the architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff (1792–1867).
The Industrial Revolution was beginning to demand a new kind of architecture: bigger, stronger, and less expensive. The new age of railways and the enormous increase in travel it brought required new train stations, large hotels, exposition halls, and department stores in Paris. While the exteriors of most Second Empire monumental buildings usually remained eclectic, a revolution was taking place inside; following the model of The Crystal Palace in London (1851), Parisian architects began to use cast iron frames and walls of glass in their buildings.
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