Louis Boudan

Caen – The Artists – Boudan, Louis

This page forms part of a series of pages dedicated to the many artists who painted in Caen. A full list of all the artists with a link to their works can be found at the bottom of this page.

Louis Boudan
Louis Boudan

Movement(s): –

Louis Boudan (16??–17??) was an artist who worked for François Roger de Gaignieres, a French genealogist, antiquary and collector who was active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

Boudan carried out commissions for de Gaignières for over 30 years. Most of his work for de Gaignieres was done between 1695 and 1715 when he, de Gaignieres and the latter’s secretary, Barthelemy Remy, toured France to carry out a survey of historical monuments.

Boudan’s work makes up the bulk of the Recueil de Gaignieres, a collection of engravings gathered by de Gaignieres over the course of his life. It was donated to Louis XIV and most of the folio plates created for de Gaignières by Boudan are today held by the Bibliotheque nationale de France.

Almost all of his drawings are of the castles and churches to be found in France towards the end of the 17th and beginning 18th century. Many of the historical monuments he painted can still be seen today.

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

NOTE: A black box like this one, means that there is an explanation text about today’s situation of the painting above it.
NOTE: Click on this photo icon anywhere below a painting to see a photo of what the area looks like today.

NOTE: A blue box like this one, means there is an explanation or a note.

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NOTE2: The descriptions of the paintings and drawings below are translated from “old” French, and can sound a bit strange at times.

1702 - Louis Boudan - View of the castle of Caen, drawn from the side from a height outside the city
1702 – Louis Boudan – View of the castle of Caen, drawn from the side from a height outside the city

TODAY: The city envelops the castle today. The castle is surrounded by houses and buildings.

1706 - Louis Boudan - View of the Abbaye de la Saincte Trinite de Caen founded by William the Conqueror, King of England and Duke of Normandy, for Benedictine nuns
1706 – Louis Boudan – View of the Abbaye de la Saincte Trinite de Caen founded by William the Conqueror, King of England and Duke of Normandy, for Benedictine nuns

TODAY: The “Abbaye de la Saincte Trinite de Caen“, otherwise known as the “Abbaye aux Dames“, still exists today and houses the regional government of Normandy.

Les Monts d’Aunay

The village of Les Monts d’Aunay is located some 20 kms outside of Caen to the South/West of the city.

1706 - Louis Boudan - View of the Abbey of N. Dame D'Aulnay, of the order of Cisteaux, from the west side, founded in 1131 in Lower Normandy, six leagues from Vire
1706 – Louis Boudan – View of the Abbey of N. Dame D’Aulnay, of the Cistercian order, from the west side, founded in 1131 in Lower Normandy, six leagues from Vire

TODAY: The Abbey has been mostly destroyed during the French revolution, only a few walls remain.

Louis Boudan made drawings and paintings of the then historical monuments, mostly castles and churches/cathedrals/abbeys. Below is an non-exhaustive list of places he made his art (a link “⇠” to his artworks will appear here when published):

  • Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes
    • Tournoel
  • Bourgogne-Franche-Comte
    • Montfaucon
  • Brittany
    • Hennebont
  • Centre-Val de Loire
    • Chinon
    • Plessis-lez-Tours
    • Rigny-Usse
  • Grand Est
    • Saint-Jean-de-Bonneval
  • Hauts-de-France
  • Normandy
  • Nouvelle-Aquitaine
    • Bordeaux
    • Dissay
    • le Mirebalais
    • Limoges
    • Loudun
    • Poitiers
    • Saint Bonnet
  • Pays de la Loire

Artists featured here who painted in Caen (but not limited to) are (a link “” will be placed next to an artist name when their works are published. A “*” means that the artist did NOT work in Caen itself, instead worked in nearby villages and towns):

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Today - the Abbaye-aux-Dames is part of the prefecture
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