Henri de Gissey
Encyclopedia
Henri Gissey (ca 1621 – 1673) was a French draughtsman
and designer who held the post of dessinateur de la Chambre et du cabinet de Roi in the Menus Plaisirs du Roi in the early years of Louis XIV of France
. Jean Bérain the Elder
, who succeeded him in the post, is likely to have been in some sense his pupil. Gissey's appointment made him responsible for the expressions of court style, above all in the elaborately costumed and produced ballets de cour, in which the young king danced among his courtiers; following Colbert
's remodelling of the royal household, the Cabinet du Roi, to which Gissey was also attached, produced the sumptuous engraved festival books that often followed such events and are sometimes the only surviving record of them.
His court position demanded in addition to designs for costumes, designs for other kinds of court ceremonial festivities, carried out under the general direction of Louis Trelons-Cochon Hesselin, "Overseer of the King's pleasures", the part of the royal household— the Maison du Roi— in charge of entertainments. Hesselin was a grand collector, patron and amateur of art; for Hesselin's own lavish entertainments for the king, Gissey's office produced the costumes and sets. Several of his pen-and-wash designs for ballets de cour are at the Victoria and Albert Museum
. There are several designs for costumes for Louis XIV as Apollo, a role he repeated in numerous court ballets: several are at the Bibliothèque de l'Institut de France. They are reminders of the extent to which the "Sun King" would identify himself as Apollo through consistent iconography at Versailles
and in the sculptural program of its gardens and fountains.
Gissey seems to have worked as an engraver as well as a designer.
Author(s) of Review: Margaret McGowan
Dance Research: The Journal of the Society for Dance Research, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Spring, 1988), pp. 70–72
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
and designer who held the post of dessinateur de la Chambre et du cabinet de Roi in the Menus Plaisirs du Roi in the early years of Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
. Jean Bérain the Elder
Jean Bérain the Elder
Jean Berain the Elder was a draughtsman and designer, painter and engraver of ornament, the artistic force in the Royal office of the Menus-Plaisirs du Roi where all the designs originated for court spectacle, from fêtes to funerals, and many designs for furnishings not covered by the Bâtiments du...
, who succeeded him in the post, is likely to have been in some sense his pupil. Gissey's appointment made him responsible for the expressions of court style, above all in the elaborately costumed and produced ballets de cour, in which the young king danced among his courtiers; following Colbert
Colbert
Colbert is a common surname and rare given name of Old French and Old German origins; it was introduced to Britain by the Normans.Colbert most commonly refers to:*Stephen Colbert , American comedian and television show host...
's remodelling of the royal household, the Cabinet du Roi, to which Gissey was also attached, produced the sumptuous engraved festival books that often followed such events and are sometimes the only surviving record of them.
His court position demanded in addition to designs for costumes, designs for other kinds of court ceremonial festivities, carried out under the general direction of Louis Trelons-Cochon Hesselin, "Overseer of the King's pleasures", the part of the royal household— the Maison du Roi— in charge of entertainments. Hesselin was a grand collector, patron and amateur of art; for Hesselin's own lavish entertainments for the king, Gissey's office produced the costumes and sets. Several of his pen-and-wash designs for ballets de cour are at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
. There are several designs for costumes for Louis XIV as Apollo, a role he repeated in numerous court ballets: several are at the Bibliothèque de l'Institut de France. They are reminders of the extent to which the "Sun King" would identify himself as Apollo through consistent iconography at Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
and in the sculptural program of its gardens and fountains.
Gissey seems to have worked as an engraver as well as a designer.
Further reading
- Christout, Marie-Francoise. 1987. Le Ballet de Cour au XVIIe siecle. The Ballet de Cour in the 17th Century (Geneva: Minkoff)
Author(s) of Review: Margaret McGowan
Dance Research: The Journal of the Society for Dance Research, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Spring, 1988), pp. 70–72