Caudebec-en-Caux and Surroundings Artist: Boudan, Louis

The French Artist

Louis Boudan was an active French artist primarily known for his work as an illustrator and draughtsman in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He is most noted for his contributions to a monumental project commissioned by François Roger de Gaignières, a French genealogist and antiquary. This project aimed to document historical monuments, architectural details, and heraldic symbols throughout France. Boudan served as the principal illustrator for this endeavor.

The work he carried out under Gaignières' patronage involved extensive travel across France, during which he produced a large number of detailed drawings and watercolors of castles, churches, tombs, and other heritage sites. Many of these places were later damaged or destroyed, making his documentation a crucial resource for historians and art historians alike. The collection of his illustrations eventually found its way into the Bibliothèque nationale de France, where it is still preserved today and known as the “Recueil Gaignières.”

Boudan’s style is characterized by a precise, almost architectural rendering of his subjects, with a strong focus on fidelity to the original monuments. He did not work in an imaginative or interpretive way, but rather in the spirit of preservation and accuracy. His work stands as a valuable visual archive of French patrimony during the Ancien Régime.

Click here to read Louis Boudan’s bio on Wikipedia.

Click here to read our introduction to Rives-en-Seine.

NOTE: Please note that Caudebec-en-Caux was merged with neighboring towns in 2016 and is now officially known as “Rives-en-Seine.” However, since the artists referred to the town by its original name in their works, we will continue to use “Caudebec-en-Caux” when discussing their paintings..

1702 – Louis Boudan – View of the Abbey of Saint Wandrille, initially known as Fontenelle, in Normandy near Caudebec of the order of St Benoist, of the congregation of St Maur

Click here to read more about this Abbey on our site.

Jumieges

The village of Jumieges (population: 1,800) is dominated by its abbey (in ruins), and it is located to the South/East of Caudebec-en-Caux and to the West of Rouen.

???? – Louis Boudan – View of the Abbey of Jumieges, of the order of St Benoist, Congregation of St Maur; 5 leagues from Rouen, in the country of Caux

Mesnil-Panneville

Mesnil-Panneville (population: 700) is a small village located some 20 kilometers from Caudebec to the North.

1702 – Louis Boudan – Profile and section of the chapel of Saint Antoine de Grattemont, in the parish of Panneville in the Pays de Caux 4 leagues from Rouen

These are the paintings/drawings he made in and around Caudebec-en-Caux in Normandy.