GrandPalais.fr : The pots à feu on the roof and the great sculptures on the pediment

The pots à feu on the roof and the great sculptures on the pediment

Great Staircase: A superb illustration of Art nouveau, the monumental Great Staircase is an instant eye-catcher. Serving as a reception area and the prestigious entrance to the future VIP lounge, it alone illustrates the majesty of the Grand Palais.
Balconies: The fine, understated contour of the balconies that run all the way round the Nave conceals little-known reception and exhibition areas. Only when they have been fully restored will it be possible to access this exceptional viewpoint that takes in the whole of the Nave.
Wolrd time clock: The world time clock has presided over a century of events in the Grand Palais, and, as a work of impressive scale and history, must be restored to its former role in the Nave.
Tympanum: Imagining the interaction and resonance between contemporary creation and heritage. This will be the challenge for the contemporary artist restoring and decorating the tympanum in the Grand Palais.
Corner glass roofs: On either side of the great staircase, the skylight windows in the corners of the building provide warm and intimate reception areas, a welcome counterpoint to the immensity of the Nave. Once restored, these shafts of light will create an even more graphic impact.
Regulation of the temperature in the Nave: Designing a temperature regulation system to operate under the biggest glass roof in Europe, covering a total area of 13,500 m2 (145,000 sq. ft.) for a volume of 450,000 m³ (15,890,000 ft³) is a massive challenge!
Mosaics and glass floors: More than just a restoration, the task of reconstituting the mosaics with their soft colours, and the glass tiles that are so typical of the early 20th century is an invitation to rediscover the sumptuous life and times of the Belle Époque.

Main entrance: It is through the majestic main entrance on Avenue Winston-Churchill that more than one and a half visitors each year enter the Grand Palais.
The pots à feu on the roof and the great sculptures on the pediment: These ornaments and large groups of sculptures make a major contribution to the building's overall impression of splendour: Alfred Picard, commissioner of the 1900 Universal Exhibition, attached particular importance to these curiosities that have since been damaged by the passage of time or simply disappeared.
Illuminations: The design of new illuminations for both inside and outside the Nave is a major and ambitious project for the 21st century and an exciting challenge on the scale of the building itself.

The VIP Lounge: Centrepiece of the restoration project for the Grand Palais, the renovation of the VIP Lounge will enable businesses, patrons and the general public to discover this sumptuous area of 1,200 m2 (12,900 sq. ft.) located in the heart of the building.
The South-East Gallery: A new area with 700 m2 (7,500 sq. ft.) of floor space, the gallery will be able to host events such as exhibitions and fashion shows. Events here will be bathed in outstanding natural vertical light streaming down through the glass overhead.
The Fine Arts Staircase: A jewel in the Grand Palais' crown, the Fine Arts Staircase offers a warm and inviting reception area and an exclusive facility in which to welcome guests. Its discrete atmosphere is enhanced by a staircase that lends a magical sense of elevation as it leads upward to the balconies in the Nave.

The impressive roof of the Grand Palais is ornamented on all its facades by large pots à feu and two big copper pediment sculptures above the east and west entrances.

A richly decorated roof

The pots à feu on the Grand Palais are impressively large embellishments: standing 10 feet tall, these typical Baroque features represent large vases bearing a torch-like flame and stand out on the roof. Over the years, bad weather has weakened the pots à feu. In 1900, there were 36. There are now just 13, so 23 need to be remade.

The pediment sculptures

These sculptures that once stood on the pediment of the Palais d'Antin have since been lost © Collection Grand Palais

The sculptures on the pediments formerly stood above the west and east entrances, respectively on avenue Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The sculpture on the western side of the Grand Palais, by Jules Desbois, was originally on the key of the metal roof arc. It represented a cartouche flanked by two female figures, almost certainly Sculpture and Painting. It was to be executed in copper but for lack of funds it was ultimately executed in staff, fibrous plasterwork. Damaged when an airship crashed on the building in 1905, it fell apart and was never replaced.
The sculpture at the entrance of the Palais d'Antin, avenue Franklin-D.-Roosevelt, was made in copper but destroyed in 1931.

Restoring a grandiose monument

Restoring the Grand Palais to its former magnificence and splendour is a tremendous ambition. The restoration of the roof ornaments will play a part in the embellishment and international stature of the monument: more than just a finishing touch, it will restore the building's impressive and harmonious propositions.

Technical information

Work: fabrication of a mould for the pots à feu. Research into the plaster sculptures for the statues (Orsay) to make the moulds and execution in copper / Positioning and installation of the sculptures
Size:
Pots à feu: height 10 feet without plinth, 4 ft. 5 in. in diameter
Sculptures: 24 feet without plinth

Media

Photo gallery

Sculptures

Contact

mecenat@rmngp.fr