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FROM THE MAGAZINE
FEATURED VIDEO
Virtual Tour of the New-York Historical Society’s Commeraw Exhibition
Margi Hofer, Senior Vice President and Museum Director, and Allison Robinson, Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Women’s History and Public History, welcome us into their new exhibition Crafting Freedom: The Life and Legacy of Free Black Potter Thomas W. Commeraw.
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![As the second France in the Footsteps of Jefferson tour winds to a close, we would like to highlight the exquisite Maison Carrée in Nîmes. No building was more consequential to Thomas Jefferson than this one.
Built c. 16 BCE during the reign of Emperor Augustus, the Maison Carrée is one of the best-preserved Roman temples in the world. Jefferson knew it from illustrations in Palladio's 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 as well as Charles Louis Clérisseau’s 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘢 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, which inspired him to select its temple form for the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond even before he reached Nîmes. Upon seeing it, he wrote Madame de Tessé, “Here I am, Madam, gazing whole hours at the Maison quarrée [sic], like a lover at his mistress.” He considered the temple “the most perfect model of ancient architecture remaining on earth” and engaged Clérisseau to help him with its adaptation for use as a government building.
Following the classic Roman design, characterized by a rectangular shape and raised platform, the temple measures approximately 85 feet long, 49 feet wide, and 55 feet high. Its exterior façade showcases Corinthian columns and intricate friezes depicting scenes from Roman mythology. The temple was dedicated to Augustus’s adopted sons, Gaius Caesar and Lucius Caesar, and served as a focal point for religious ceremonies, as well as a symbol of Roman authority and power in the region. The Maison Carrée has undergone several transformations, with a conversion into a Christian church in the 4th century and later used as a consular house during the Middle Ages. Despite these adaptations, the temple’s essential architectural elements were preserved.
Travelers also visited Glanum, Orange, and the Pont du Gard. See our stories and the "France" story highlight on our Instagram page for photos!
Thank you for following along on our France in the Footsteps of Jefferson Study Trip Abroad! Learn more about our 2024 Study Trips Abroad at https://decorativeartstrust.org/study-trips-abroad/.
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