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esidence. Similar to its use in antiquity, the motif became associated with ceremonial
appearances of the pope, demonstrating the Christian leader’s power and will.
Lemercier certainly became familiar with the serliana during his travels to Italy and from
studying versions in the architectural treatises of Sebastiano Serlio and Andrea Palladio, copies
of which were in his personal library. 72 It is also possible that Lemercier knew of the design
from French examples, most likely spread through its inclusion in Sebastiano Serlio’s Fourth
Book, first published in 1537. The serliana is known in at least two instances of French religious
architecture dating from the sixteenth century, the cloisters of the cathedral of Laon and
Guillaume Philandrier’s northern transept of the church of Le Grand-Andely in Normandy. 73
Other examples are found in domestic designs, including the Hôtel d’Assézat in Toulouse (begun
1555). The motif also appears in Jacques Androuet du Cerceau’s Premier livre published in
1559. 74
While these examples were probably used as decorative motifs, a version in Lescot’s
west wing of the Louvre undoubtedly retained the serliana’s imperial symbolism. Found in the
Salle des Caryatides, a ceremonial room on the ground floor of the palace, the motif consists of a
central arch supported on each side by groups of four fluted Doric columns and flanked by two
rectangular openings (fig. 23). 75 It spans the width of the room and is raised on six low steps.
To the rear of the arrangement is a wall with a centrally placed fireplace framed by two doors
that originally led to the state apartments. Although the purpose of this arrangement is not
known, it has been known as the tribunal even since the sixteenth century when Jacques
Androuet du Cerceau labeled it this in his book, Les plus excellents bastiments de France. 76
Like the serliana, a tribunal evokes imperial Rome because it was a podium from which the
emperor rendered justice. The symbolism of the ensemble is further enhanced by the inclusion
of pediments over each of the serliana’s rectangular bays, elements that also evoke a privileged
status. The combination of the architectural forms in the Louvre, which made an impressive
entryway for the king from the state apartments, has led scholars to view the motif as part of
77
Henri II’s imperial aspirations.
The demonstration of royal authority by the Louvre serliana suggests a similar use for the
motif in the French Oratory. Lemercier may have initially intended to include a serliana in every
bay of the gallery following the decorative repetition of the motif in Palladio’s design for the
façade of the Vincenza basilica (begun 1549). A drawing from around 1622 known as the
62