Agency of Claude Nicolas LEDOUX (Dormans 1736 - Paris 1806) Project of the great theatre of Marseille, animated perspective view Pen and black ink, watercolor. Vertical fold in the center. 23 x 40,5 cm In 1769, Ledoux was chosen by de Wailly and Peyre for the construction of the new Comédie-Française, l'Odéon, and in 1774, he was appointed to build the theatre in Besançon, which was inaugurated in 1784. It was in the wake of this success that In the wake of this success, he planned a theatre for Marseille, which unfortunately did not come to fruition. The project, which was not carried out, dates from 1784-85. The engraving of our drawing is reproduced in L'Architecture en 1847, pl. 88 (see O. Makhevna-Barabanova, Ledoux, maître à penser des architectes russes, Editions du Patrimoine, repr.). Designed at the same time as the Besançon theatre was being completed, the Marseille theatre might have found its place if it had not been so frightening because of its gigantic size. The governor of the province entrusted its construction to the obscure architect Bénard. In his project, Ledoux had adapted his austere architecture to the exuberance of the south; it was a brilliant amplification of the Besançon theatre. In the façade, an impressive porch with eight Corinthian columns was to support a quadriga. The projected auditorium could accommodate 3,000 spectators, with a cafe for 2,000 people on the lower level of the auditorium. On the first floor, the theatre was surrounded by a terrace where the audience could relax during the intermissions. On the ground floor, there were about twenty shops and on the mezzanine level, eighteen private rooms.