Machine generated contents note: THE LOUVRE FROM ROUND TOWER TO SQUARE COURT OVER HALF A MILLENNIUM -- Inception -- Apogee of the Valols -- Francois 1 and his predecessors abroad -- Francine Renaissance -- Introduction of Philibert de I'Orme and Pierre Lescot -- Excursion To Anet -- To the palace with Lescot -- The initiative of Francois I revised for Henri II -- The constitution of Lescot's revisions -- Morphology and symbolism -- Advent Ceremonial -- Triumph And The Fruits Of Peace -- Valois valediction -- West to the Tuileries and on to Charleval -- Late works and imported etiquette -- The Late Valois And Early Hispano-Burgundians -- Notes -- Expansion -- Introduction: Advent of the Bourbons -- Louis XIII and Richelieu -- Furthering late-Valois projects -- Post-Mannerism -- Introduction of Jacques Lemercier -- Back to the palace with Lemercier: expansion eclipsed -- Digression To Richelieu -- Introduction of Francois Mansart -- Excursion To Blois -- Louis XIV and Mazarin -- Centralized power checked and reasserted -- Fruits of victory abroad -- Mazarine aesthetics -- Flight Into Heaven: Trompe-L'oeil In Mazarin's Circle -- Modern style and ancient ritual in the Louvre -- Etiquette En Enfilade -- Introduction of Louis Le Vau -- Excursion To Vaux-Le-Vicomte -- Back to the palace with Le Vau: expansion regained -- Notes -- Resolution -- Self-assertive king and minister -- Colbert and the palace -- Le Vau checked -- The contention of Francois Mansart -- Mansart's Louvre: Directing The Flow Of Unstemmed Invention -- International aspiration for the seat of France -- Excursion To Rome For Lessons In Ordonnance -- After Bernini: design by committee -- The Perraults: claim and counter-claim -- Amplification -- Implications of doubling the south wing -- Propriety In Proportion -- Prototype achieved -- Practicality and propriety -- Notes -- VERSAILLES TRANSFORMATIONS OF A HUNTING LODGE ACROSS TWO REIGNS -- Inception And Development For Louis XIV -- Prelude: accession to the He enchantee -- Apollonian Allegory And The Sun King's Ego -- The pursuit of gloire -- Aggression stalled -- The palace of Le Vau and Le Brun: envelopment -- Style -- French precedents for the enveloppe -- Forecourt extensions and the great staircase -- Flights Of Grandeur -- The grand enfilade -- The garden -- To The Bosquet -- Pursuit of gloire renewed -- Aggregation achieved -- The palace of Le Brun and Hardouin-Mansart: expansion -- Baroque-Classicism: the Style Louis xiv -- The galerie des Glaces and its dependencies -- Old fronts revised and new wings projected -- Back To The Bosquet -- Marly 2.04 -- After Colbert: gloire sullied -- The seat of sovereignty -- The advance of Gallicanism -- The repression of Protestantism -- Attrition at arms -- Retreat from magniloquence -- The appartement du roi -- To Trianon -- Twilight of gloire -- The final phase of the old king's palace building -- Advent of Rococo -- The appartement du roi extended -- Towards the future in the context of the past -- Notes -- Reformation And Refinement For Louis XV -- From profligate regency to personal rule -- Rehabilitation of the state and successful war -- Succession Wars -- Radical alliances and disastrous war -- Revenge Wars -- Abortive reform -- Sophisticated planning and exotic decoration -- Advance Into The `s tyle Moderne' -- Theory And Modern Practice -- Back to the palace -- Advance to commodite -- Introducing Ange-Jacques Gabriel -- Reviewed theory and reformed practice -- Jacques-Francois Blondel And Noble Simplicitf -- Modified gravitas -- Projects for the palace -- The petit projet of 1742 -- The grand projet of 1743 and its revision in 1749 -- The court Opera -- Retreat into the interior -- Return to the Louvre -- Towards the definitive grand projet -- Bernini Translated To Versailles -- Diversion to Trianon again -- Apotheosis Of Domesticity -- Back to the palace -- The Opera reprieved -- Late interiors -- Resolution of the grand projet -- Fin de regne -- Notes -- French royal architects diverted -- To Stockholm with Tessin -- Emulation At Large: The Ideal -- Imperial rivalry -- Beyond the imperial capital -- Munich and Schleifsheim -- The Apogee Of Rococo In Munich -- Wurzburg -- From Berlin to Potsdam -- Petersburg and Peterhof -- From Madrid to Naples -- Caserta -- Queluz -- Blenheim -- Back to Bavaria beyond Blenheim -- Notes.