The book “Desseins de plusieurs palais plans et elevations en perspective geometrique” has almost only 2 large passages where it is clear that this book has two parts. The first part is dedicated to Monseigneur by Cardinal Mazarin and is sold with the king’s privilege instead of the author. The second part is dedicated to François du Val Marquis de Fontenay. For both parts there is a text passage in the book that was written calligraphically. The font of the text is rather large and was written with a pen. Most of the pages have no title. Many drawings have only one heading above.
On December 28, 1652, the author received the twenty-year privilege for drafting several plans for churches, castles and palaces. Some are drawn schematically and others are drawn in great detail.
All pictures in the book are black and white.
There are also some paintings in the book with angels on them.
The plans in the book mostly have very little text, just the title. Le Pautre also drew a few floor plans in this book where he also wrote the names of the rooms calligraphically.
The book has 54 pictures and most of the pictures are plans, floor plans or views. All of these pages with illustrations are identified with Roman numerals and numbered by handwriting. The book is also focused on the plans and illustrations and can be read like a picture book. The plans give you an insight into a palace and you also experience a bit of the art style of that time. The perspective drawings make it clear how big a palace was and how much luxury you had then.
For the text file I took Berkenhout John’s book “The Ruins of Poestum or Posidonia a City of Magna Graecia in the Kingdom of Naples”.