Claude Perrault

Vitruvius's words are timeless, like the ruins they describe.

Symmetry is nature's law, architecture's guide.

In correspondence with Fréart, I argued for positive beauty.

The facade of the Louvre stands as my humble contribution.

Aging teaches that foundations matter most.

Humor in halls: Echoes that mock the builder's haste.

The essence of orders lies in their modular grace.

Philosophy informs the architect's discerning eye.

To err in proportion is to err against nature.

My last design shall be for posterity's contemplation.

Columns rise like thoughts aspiring to the divine.

In letters to Colbert, I defended the grand manner.

Architecture's wit is in the play of light and shadow.

The human scale unites builder and beholder.

Life's architecture crumbles without solid principles.

At the Academy, I quipped that rules are for guidance, not chains.

Ordonnance is the soul of architectural order.

Beauty is customary, yet universal in its appeal.

In my medical practice, I learned bodies and buildings share vitality.

The jest of the trade: Measure twice, build once, regret never.