Louis Le Vau

Louis Le Vau (; 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. His most notable works include the Hôtel Lambert, the château Vaux-le-Vicomte, and the Collège des Quatre-Nations (now the Institut de France).

Early life and career 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). 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 being developed as a residential area. His most notable work during this period is the Hôtel Lambert .

Le Vau also designed country houses, including the Château de Livry , later known as the Château du Raincy.

Royal architect In 1654, his career was advanced through his appointment as the first architect to the king, He was commissioned by Cardinal Mazarin to help rebuild part of the medieval Château de Vincennes.

Shortly after, in 1656 he was given the important commission to build the chateau of Nicolas Fouquet, Vaux-le-Vicomte with the help of André Le Nôtre and Charles Le Brun. Le Vau's most notable work in the Vaux-le-Vicomte is the oval salon facing the garden. This design, an example of a salon à l'italienne (vaulted, two-storied room), develops the idea that a simple form governs the shape of the main section of the building.