Pierre Fontaine
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Pierre Fontaine was a French architect and interior designer, best known for his collaboration with Charles Percier. Together, they were instrumental in creating the influential Empire style of interior decoration during the reign of Napoleon I.
Fontaine and Percier met while studying architecture in Paris and later spent time in Rome, where their friendship solidified. Upon returning to Paris, they established their practice and gained patronage from Josephine Bonaparte, Napoleon's wife, for whom they renovated the Château de Malmaison.
Their work defined the Empire style, blending Greco-Roman and Egyptian elements into a severe yet elegant Neoclassical aesthetic. They designed interiors, furniture, and decorative objects for imperial residences, including the Louvre and Tuileries palaces. Notable projects include the arcades of the rue de Rivoli and the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. Fontaine continued to work after Percier's retirement, designing the Chapelle Expiatoire in Paris.12
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Empire style…French architects Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine, who designed furnishings for the state rooms of Napoleon, contributed in great measure to the creation of the Empire style of interior decoration and furniture design. Their ideas were incorporated and propagated in their Recueil de décorations intérieures (1801 and 1812; “Collection of…
Read More…French architects Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine, who designed furnishings for the state rooms of Napoleon, contributed in great measure to the creation of the Empire style of interior decoration and furniture design. Their ideas were incorporated and propagated in their Recueil de décorations intérieures (1801 and 1812; “Collection of…
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furniture19th century…French architects, Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine, who designed the furnishings for the staterooms of Napoleon, contributed in great measure to the creation of the style. Their ideas were incorporated and propagated in Recueil de décorations intérieures (1801 and 1812; “Collection of Interior Decoration”).
Read More…French architects, Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine, who designed the furnishings for the staterooms of Napoleon, contributed in great measure to the creation of the style. Their ideas were incorporated and propagated in Recueil de décorations intérieures (1801 and 1812; “Collection of Interior Decoration”).
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