Blondel, Jacques-François

Blondel, Jacques-François (1705–74). Rouenborn French architect, who was an important teacher, theorist, and writer. He revered French architecture, and especially the work of Gabriel, Mansart, and Perrault. His independent School of Architecture, opened in Paris in 1743, included among its students Boullée, Chambers, Ledoux, and de Wailly. He was appointed Professor at the Académie Royale d'Architecture in 1762, and his lectures and theories were set out in his Cours d'architecture (1771–7), completed by Pierre Patte. His many books included De la Distribution des Maisons de Plaisance et de la Décoration des Édifices en Général (1737–8), the monumental four-volume encylopedia of French buildings, L'Architecture Françoise… (1752–6), and Discours sur la Manière d'étudier l'Architecture (1747), with a later edition of 1754. Among his surviving works are part of the Place des Armes, Metz (1760s), and a screen in Strasbourg Cathedral (c.1767).

Bibliography

Blondel & and Patte (1771–7);
Builder (1980);
Eriksen (1974);
Gallet (1972a);
Hautecœur (1950);
Herrmann (1962);
E. Kaufmann (1955);
Picon (1992);
Prost (1860);
Rykwert (1980)