Vue en Perspective de l’Hotel Royale des Invalides du Cote du Grand Portail de L’Eglise

A marvelous 18th-century view of the grand Hotel des Invalides.

The Hotel des Invalides was originally constructed in the 1670s during the reign of King Louis XIV as a hospital complex for the veterans of his many military campaigns. The Dome des Invalides, a lavish chapel for exclusive use of the King, opened in 1706 and remains one of the finest examples of French Baroque architecture.

This beautiful view of the grounds of Les Invalides puts the iconic gilt-domed church front and center, labeled first in the list of features (lower left). Other keyed elements include stables, gates, courtyards, and gardens, with the River Seine and the neighborhood of Montmartre in the background. This copperplate engraved print was originally published in Paris around 1720 as part of Nicholas de Fer’s Atlas Curieux.