Origins & Early Life

Louis Le Vau (French pronunciation: [lwi l(ə) vo]; c. 1612 – 11 October 1670) was a French architect, who worked for King Louis XIV. Along with Salomon de Brosse, Jacques Lemercier, and François Mansart, Louis Le Vau was one of the early exponents of French architectural classicism. He developed a style marked by sensitivity to context and originality of plan.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His most notable works include the Hôtel Lambert, the château Vaux-le-Vicomte, and the Collège des Quatre-Nations (now the Institut de France). Born Louis Le Veau, he was the son of Louis Le Veau (died February 1661), a stonemason, who was active in Paris. His younger brother François Le Vau (born in 1624) also became an architect. The father and his two sons worked together in the 1630s and 1640s. The two brothers later changed the spelling of their surname from "Le Veau" to "Le Vau" to avoid its association with the French word veau (calf).

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Le Vau started his career by designing the Hotel de Bautru in 1634. By 1639, he was developing town houses (hôtels particuliers) for rich citizens such as Sainctot, Hesselin, Gillier, Gruyn des Bordes, and Jean Baptiste Lambert in the île Saint-Louis, which was...

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