2025年11月21日星期五 
Pierre Fontaine: Architect of the Empire Style
O n 21 November, the auction house Thierry de Maigret will hold at Hôtel Drouot an exceptional sale devoted to the French neoclassical architect and decorator Pierre Fontaine (1762–1853). Nearly 900 architectural drawings, gathered into 356 lots from his studio archive, trace the full span of his career and the evolution of his distinctive style.
This major collection reveals the breadth of his work and his essential role—alongside Charles Percier—in shaping the Empire style. The ensemble of works and documents presented in this sale brings new insight into their collaboration. Real, vanished or imagined, the places it depicts—from the Louvre to Malmaison, from the rue de Rivoli to the Palais-Royal, from Rome to Lyon and the banks of the Scheldt; the Convention Hall, the gilded halls of the Imperial palaces, the pleasure gardens and salons of the Incroyables and Merveilleuses—unfold like the settings of an epic.
Through these sheets, Fontaine’s graphic universe unfolds in a profusion of forms and media: from grand architectural drawings to simple sketchbook pages, from finished designs to fleeting ideas, across all sorts of papers. Together they reveal the movement of a mind at once precise, abundant, and masterfully controlled.
Through these sheets, Fontaine’s graphic universe unfolds in a profusion of forms and media: from grand architectural drawings to simple sketchbook pages, from finished designs to fleeting ideas, across all sorts of papers. Together they reveal the movement of a mind at once precise, abundant, and masterfully controlled.
Fontaine & Percier: Architects of the Empire Style
A pupil of Antoine-François Peyre and winner of the Grand Prix de Rome in 1785, Fontaine spent time at the Villa Medici, where he formed a lasting friendship with Charles Percier (1764–1838). Together, they became one of the most influential duos in Napoleonic architecture and the decorative arts, giving birth to a new style steeped in the forms of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman Antiquity—the Empire style.
They weathered every political regime—Ancien, Consulate, Empire, and Restoration—adapting outward forms without compromising substance. Fontaine and Percier contributed to the transformation of the Louvre and the Tuileries, the decoration of Malmaison, Fontainebleau, and the creation of many iconic Imperial interiors and furnishings.
They weathered every political regime—Ancien, Consulate, Empire, and Restoration—adapting outward forms without compromising substance. Fontaine and Percier contributed to the transformation of the Louvre and the Tuileries, the decoration of Malmaison, Fontainebleau, and the creation of many iconic Imperial interiors and furnishings.
Themes and Inspirations
Fontaine’s drawings reveal a wealth of themes illuminating his career and creative world. His Italian stay in Rome deeply shaped his vision: numerous ornamental studies bear witness to the lasting influence of ancient architecture on his style.
His opera set designs, executed during the Revolution, display a sharp sense of staging and a capacity to conceive space in theatrical and narrative terms. His furniture and interior designs, often extensively annotated, show the meticulous eye of the architect-surveyor. They reflect his reinterpretation of the Roman and Etruscan repertoire that inspired him early on, while also exploring a new chromatic vocabulary.
Finally, his major official projects provide a rare glimpse of his architectural achievements and his staging of the grand events of his time. These drawings span not only the Empire but also the Restoration and the July Monarchy, including previously unpublished studies for the Chapelle expiatoire and the Palais-Royal.
His opera set designs, executed during the Revolution, display a sharp sense of staging and a capacity to conceive space in theatrical and narrative terms. His furniture and interior designs, often extensively annotated, show the meticulous eye of the architect-surveyor. They reflect his reinterpretation of the Roman and Etruscan repertoire that inspired him early on, while also exploring a new chromatic vocabulary.
Finally, his major official projects provide a rare glimpse of his architectural achievements and his staging of the grand events of his time. These drawings span not only the Empire but also the Restoration and the July Monarchy, including previously unpublished studies for the Chapelle expiatoire and the Palais-Royal.
Highlights
Among the 900 drawings offered for sale, several stand out for their historical and artistic importance. Some were executed with Charles Percier. A group of four drawings by both architects illustrates their preparatory work for the album “Palais, maisons et autres édifices modernes, dessinés à Rome” (estimate: €4,000 – 6,000), testifying to their Italian training and shared vision of ancient architecture.
Several works relate to Fontaine’s career under Napoleon I. These include projects for major events, such as the View of the Grand Vestibule erected for the Coronation of Napoleon I at Notre-Dame (estimate: €3,000 – 4,000), and the Banquet for the Marriage of Napoleon and Marie-Louise at the Louvre (estimate: €3,000 – 4,000), both revealing his talent for staging the grand spectacles of the Empire.
The sale also features numerous interior design studies, such as a project for an armchair and headboard with ram’s heads and ornaments (estimate: €3,000 – 4,000), and the Ceiling of the Emperor’s Bedroom at the Palais des Tuileries (estimate: €600 – 800). A particularly striking allegorical and historical composition, View of the Remarkable Monuments of Paris (estimate: €8,000 – 12,000), incorporates art objects brought back from the Italian Campaign of 1796, showing how Fontaine celebrated the victories of his time through his creations.
Finally, the catalogue includes precious manuscripts and historical documents, some shedding light on the architect’s personal and professional friendships. Enriched by an accumulation of forms, the study of the old masters, and observation of great architecture, Pierre Fontaine’s oeuvre stands as a brilliant testament to the civilisation of drawing to which he belonged.
Several works relate to Fontaine’s career under Napoleon I. These include projects for major events, such as the View of the Grand Vestibule erected for the Coronation of Napoleon I at Notre-Dame (estimate: €3,000 – 4,000), and the Banquet for the Marriage of Napoleon and Marie-Louise at the Louvre (estimate: €3,000 – 4,000), both revealing his talent for staging the grand spectacles of the Empire.
The sale also features numerous interior design studies, such as a project for an armchair and headboard with ram’s heads and ornaments (estimate: €3,000 – 4,000), and the Ceiling of the Emperor’s Bedroom at the Palais des Tuileries (estimate: €600 – 800). A particularly striking allegorical and historical composition, View of the Remarkable Monuments of Paris (estimate: €8,000 – 12,000), incorporates art objects brought back from the Italian Campaign of 1796, showing how Fontaine celebrated the victories of his time through his creations.
Finally, the catalogue includes precious manuscripts and historical documents, some shedding light on the architect’s personal and professional friendships. Enriched by an accumulation of forms, the study of the old masters, and observation of great architecture, Pierre Fontaine’s oeuvre stands as a brilliant testament to the civilisation of drawing to which he belonged.
