Francois Blondel (1618-1686): Architecture, Erudition, and Early Modern Science

It is surprising, given the state of research on the relationship between architecture and early modern science, that a subject as compelling as Francois Blondel has so completely escaped scholarly attention. The first director of the Academie royale d'architecture, the creator of the porte St. Denis, and the author of the monumental Cours d'architecture (1675-1683) has been virtually forgotten as a scientist, scholar, and man-of-letters. Standard architectural histories present him only in fragmentary form, barely acknowledging the qualities that made him famous to his contemporaries: a polymathic range, an extensive circle of friends and intellectual contacts, a European-wide readership, and an extraordinary breadth of personal experience, including several distant and exotic travels. This dissertation is the first work to reassess Blondel's place in the intellectual world of his time. Chapter One reinterprets his famous debate with Claude Perrault in light of Blondel's contemporary reputation as an erudit, an aspect of his identity that I argue lies at the heart of their dispute. Chapter Two focuses on Blondel's interest in mathematics, exploring his place within the French tradition of practical geometry in light of recent scholarship on the "mixed" mathematical sciences in seventeenth century England. I compare him specifically to Girard Desargues and Philippe de La Hire, two contemporary mathematicians also interested in architecture. Chapter Three looks at Blondel's life, charting his varied history as a soldier, engineer, naval officer, tutor, diplomat, architect, and scientist. I argue that Blondel's career is best seen as a long trajectory of clientage, a continuing attempt to create patronage relationships based on mutual trust and personal service. I show that Blondel, like many clients, sought a career at court, a goal he attained following his appointment as mathematics tutor to the dauphin. Chapter Four returns to the debate over architectural proportion, to challenge the standard view of Blondel as a backward, retardataire personality. For a more representative view of his interests and background, I turn to the inventory of his library. This previously unknown notarial document contains 439 entries for more than 1200 volumes and provides a vivid picture of Blondel as a reader and collector.