D'ORBAY, François II

(b. 1634 Paris, d. 1697 Paris)

French architect and printmaker, who worked closely with Louis Le Vau and Jules Hardouin-Mansart. He was the son of François I d’Orbay, (died 1677), a mason.

François d’Orbay assisted Louis Le Vau, ‘premier architecte du roi’, at the Château de Vincennes (built 1654-61). From 1663 he worked as Le Vau’s chief draughtsman in the Royal Building Administration. He was appointed a founding member of the ‘Académie Royale d’Architecture’ in 1671; he served as principal draftsman under Jules Hardouin-Mansart, ‘premier architecte du roi’ in 1678, from 1678 until his death in 1697.

Exterior view

From 1662 Fran�ois d’Orbay assisted Louis Le Vau in the design of the Coll�ge des Quatre Nations, Paris (1661-74), now the Institut de France. By employing a pedimented fa�ade (with a tall cupola behind) flanked by two quadrants ending in pavilions facing the River Seine (thus giving the structure a concave fa�ade bordered by the wings), they showed a strong affinity with Italian Baroque art, and with the work of both Bernini and Francesco Borromini.

View the ground plan of the church of Coll�ge des Quatres-Nations, Paris.

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General site plan of the Palais-Royal and gardens in 1692

Hardouin-Mansart’s assistant, Fran�ois d’Orbay, prepared a general site plan, showing the Palais-Royal before the alterations by Jules Hardouin-Mansart were made. The garden shown on the plan was designed by Andr� Le N�tre.

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