I took this photo of my nephew ambling around the plaza of the 1357-1533-1892 west (main) façade of the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) in Paris, France
The Hôtel de Ville was first built in 1357, during the term of the Provost of Paris Étienne Marcel (1302-1358). The south wing of the Hôtel de Ville was expanded by King François I (1494-1547), from 1535 to 1551; during the terms of the provosts Jean Tronson (served 1534-1537) to Claude Guyot (served 1548–1551). And the north wing was expanded by King Henri IV (1553-1610) and King Louis XIII (1601-1643), starting 1605 and finishing in 1628; during the terms of provosts François Miron (served 1604-1606) to Nicolas de Bailleul (served 1622-1628)
During the French Revolution, the Hôtel de Ville was taken over and established as he headquarters of the revolution an later the Paris Commune. In May 1871, the Hôtel de Ville was burned down, and the position of provost / mayor of Paris was abolished. What took place was the position of Prefect of Paris.
Reconstruction of the Hôtel de Ville began in 1873, and followed much of the original designs of Marcel, and Kings François I and Henri IV. The new building was designed by the French architects Théodore Ballu (1817-1885) and Pierre Joseph Édouard Deperthes (1833-1898). The construction of the Hôtel de Ville lasted through the terms of Paris Prefects Léon Renault (1839–1933; served 1871 to 1876) to Henri-Auguste Lozé (1850-1915; served 1888 to 1893), and completed in 1892.
The both the presidents of France Marie Edme Patrice Maurice de MacMahon (1808-1893; served 1873-1879) to Marie François Sadi Carnot (1837-1894; served 1887-1894) coordinated with the Prefect of Paris in the development of the Hôtel de Ville. And they approved and hired more than 230 French sculptors to complete more than 400 statues that featured 338 famous Parisians on each façade, allegorical sculptures, lions, sphinxes and chevaliers (knights).
At the front entrance are the statues of “Science” by Jules Blanchard (1832-1916) and “Art” by Laurent-Honoré Marqueste (1848-1920). At the clock, are the allegorical statures of “Instruction” and “Travail” (Labor) by Ernest-Eugène Hiolle (1834-1886), the representations of the rivers “Marne” and “Seine” by Aimé Millet (1819-1891), the embodiment of “La Ville de Paris” (The City of Paris) by Jean Gautherin (1840-1890), and the reclined allegorical figures of “Vigilance” and “Prudence” by Charles Gauthier (1831-1891). Etched below the clock are the words “Liberté” (Freedom), “Égalité” (Equality), and “Fraternité” (Brotherhood).
Some other sculptors who worked on the Hôtel de Ville are Jean-Antoine-Marie Idrac (1849–1884), Henri-Michel-Antoine Chapu (1833-1891), Henri-Charles Maniglier (1826-1901), François Auguste René Rodin (1840-1917), and Auguste Nicolas Caïn (1821-1894).
The sphinxes by Henri Alfred Marie Jacquemart (1824-1896) and Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon (1818-1881).
This picture was taken circa 2015, during my art “pilgrimage” to Roma, Venezia, Napoli, and Paris.
