| This dissertation concerns the Hotel de Ville of Paris, the city's municipal government building, begun in 1533. This study examines the building in its context, as it drew on the accrued associations of its site, the Place de Greve, with the commercial and civic identity of Paris. Based on newly uncovered visual evidence as well as fragments of the sixteenth-century structure, the dissertation establishes the original form of the Hotel de Ville and revises the building's construction history. In addition, this study establishes that the building follows the design of Domenico da Cortona to a greater extent than was previously believed. This new understanding forms the basis for an analysis of Domenico's design, which was a complex mixture of elements from the medieval tradition, the architecture of fifteenth and sixteenth-century Italy, and the ideas of Leonardo da Vinci. The study holds that the fusion of various traditions produced a hybrid style, a local manifestation of the Renaissance, developed by the architects of Francois I, which fulfilled particular functional and symbolic requirements. In particular, the design draws on the medieval town hall type, an emblem of civic power.;The dissertation further argues that the Hotel de Ville was a joint undertaking of the city goverment and the king of France, Francois I; the building itself is interpreted as an episode in the long relationship of the capital city of France and the crown. The study maintains that the project was a gesture of architectural diplomacy and was part of Francois I's broader policy of alliance with the wealthy Parisian merchants who funded the king's war-related expenses. Built in the style of the royal chateaux, it was a physical manifestation of the alliance between city and crown. This study views the Hotel de Ville as the centerpiece of a broader urban project which Francois I undertook in the capital city. Driven by economic and commercial goals, this project established Paris as a vital commercial capital allied with the king. |
