François Huguet Explained

François Huguet was a 17h–18th-century French architect. He died around 1730.

François Huguet

Son-in-law of François Houdault, in 1686, he took over the general layout of the Laval altarpieces of the Corbineau and Houdault families in Boistrudan.^[1] For Jacques Salbert, it is possible that the main altar of the also belongs to his work.^[2]

Huguet completed the coronation of the towers of the Rennes Cathedral between 1679 and 1704, bringing them to their current height of 48 metres and added the motto of Louis XIV, (Latin: [[Nec pluribus impar]], the incomparable) on the pediment at the top of the facade.

The construction of the new took place throughout the 18th century. Huguet decided on an opposite orientation to the previous one. The first campaign of work from 1703 to 1718 began with the choir and the crossing of the transept. After the, these parts will be restored between 1721 and 1724.

Bibliography

• Jules-Marie Richard, Les constructeurs de retables,, 1906.
• Jacques Salbert, Ateliers de retabliers Lavallois aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles: Études historiques et artistiques, Presses Universitaires de Rennes, 1976.

Notes and References

1. In particular the large upper dashboard curved in its central part between 2 lateral forebodies; the original aspect of this altarpiece comes not from real innovations, but from the absence of lateral pediments and niches or square bodies with wings giving the whole an unfinished appearance
2. Its general disposition ranks it among the altarpieces built by the family of Pierre Corbineau but the heaviness of the floor, the excessive width of the upper niches bring it closer to Boistrudan.