Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Cirque d'hiver

Cirque d'hiver, Winter Circus, rue Amelot, rue des Filles-du-Calvaire, Paris

Cirque d'hiver (Winter Circus)
Rue Amelot
Quartier de la Folie-Méricourt, 11th arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

“The circus is an oval polygon of 20 sides, with Corinthian columns at the angles, giving the impression of an oval building enclosing the oval ring, surrounded by steeply banked seating for spectators, very much like a miniature indoor Colosseum. A low angled roof is self-supporting like a low dome, so that there is no central pole, as under a tent, to obstruct views or interfere with the action. The building was designed by the architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff and opened as the Cirque Napoléon, a compliment to the new Emperor of the French Napoleon III. The sculptor James Pradier was called upon to provide exterior bas-reliefs of Amazons, and Francisque Duret and Astyanax-Scévola Bosio sculpted the panels of mounted warriors.” (Cirque d'hiver, Wikipedia)
See also: Saint Michel terrassant le démon - La Justice Consulaire

1 comment:

cieldequimper said...

Lol, another place I have never been to!