Architecture as Portrait: Exoticism and the Royal Character of the Louvre, 1380–1681

The architectural evolution of the Louvre between the 15th and 17th centuries is characterized by systematic attempts to distinguish the building within the broader context of French styles. In the 15th and early 16th centuries, this is achieved by producing grander and more elaborate versions of the contemporary French architectural solutions. From the late 16th century on, the affectation of an ltalian manner becomes the most signicant way of achieving this distinction. This article reviews and examines the interventions on the Louvre under Charles V, Francis l, and Henry l, then stresses the importance of resorting to an Italian style in the process of buildlng Louis XlV's East facade. Its famous colonnade, before coming to be seen as a hallmark of French classicism, owes its existence to the intent of differentiating the King's palace from'the prevalent standards of French aristocratic architecture, thus marking the monarch's uniqueness