Alexandre Raymond (architect)

Alexandre Marc Raymond, born on 22 January 1872 in Constantinople in Turkey and died on 16 May 1941 in Colombes in France, is a French Orientalist architect. After working in the field of Islamic art, he turned to Byzantine art. During the last twenty years of his life he undertook substantial work, in particular on Hagia Sophia (Αγία Σοφία). https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Raymond

Biography

Early life

Alexandre Marc Raymond was born on 22 January 1872 in Constantinople, in Turkey, at the time part of the Ottoman Empire. He was the son of Marc Raymond, architect, born in Constantinople in 1846, and Rose Valsamaki, Greek Orthodox, born in Cephalonia. As Alexandre was the eldest boy in the family, he would sign his works “ARAYMOND Aîné” (aîné meaning eldest in French) or “Alexandre M. RAYMOND”. He studied at the Turkish Fine Arts School in Constantinople where he was a student of Alexander Vallaury.

Ottoman Empire (1893-1922)

Between 1893 and 1896, Alexandre Marc Raymond drew the blueprints for the Institute for sericulture development in Bursa, the working drawings for the completion of the Ankara Office and the construction plans for the Ottoman Public Debt Office in Adapazari.

In 1908, he published L’Art de la Construction en Turquie, (The Art of Construction in Turkey, published in French), a highly-precise technical volume of work, printed in Alexandria. “Alexandre Raymond’s passion for the history of architecture in Turkey is wonderfully illustrated in his research book Notes Pratiques et Résumés sur l‘Art de la Construction en Turquie (Practical Notes and Summaries of the Art of Construction in Turkey, published in French), where he describes the construction market, the equipment, materials, and employment conditions, as well as the legal provisions and regulations in the country.”

He partnered with his brother César who ran Librairie Raymond, a bookshop, where his written works were sold.

Reproductions of religious monuments and adornments

Alongside his incoming-generating activity as an architect, from the age of 16 (1888) until the age of 50 (1922), Alexandre Marc Raymond travelled around the Ottoman Empire and created reproductions of religious monuments and adornments. Each of his works is signed, dated and located.

Revue Technique d’Orient

From 1910 to 1911, Alexandre Marc Raymond was Editor-in-chief of the de la Revue Technique d’Orient, a monthly technical journal in French, published for the first time in Constantinople in September 1910. The journal was published in Adalet Han / Galata – Constantinople (Istanbul). The publication committee was made up of nine people, including famous sculptor Yervant Voskan, (1855-1914), who was also Deputy Director at the Sanayi-i Nefise School. The journal dealt with subjects such as private housing and public buildings and works (“naﬁa” in Turkish) in the Ottoman Empire and especially in Constantinople. “This regular publication which came out on 15^th of each month and of which forty issues seem to have appeared is a source of information little known even to experts.”

Personal life

Alexandre Marc Raymond married Mathilde Collaro, the date of the marriage remains unknown, and a child was born from this union in 1901; they divorced on 4 October 1906.

On 15 March 1910, he married Aspasie Caralli (1878-1961) with whom he had three children. The family lived in Constantinople in Kumbaradji Street in the Karaköy district of the city.

End of the Ottoman Empire and leaving Constantinople

Between 1914-1918, the First World War caused the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the arrival in power of the nationalist Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Turkey. Greece moved to action to overthrow Mustapha Kemal. The Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) broke out in 1919. The massacres of the Greek population living on Turkish soil compelled Alexandre Marc Raymond, whose Greek origin wife was threatened, to flee his native city with his wife and children and leave everything behind. As he had French nationality, he headed for France.

In France

Alexandre Marc Raymond arrived in France in 1922 and settled in Paris with his family, at 12 Rue du Helder in the 9^th district. He was persuaded that he would resume his activities in Constantinople quickly. The family moved from the 9^th district and settled in Vincennes, at 9 rue Eugène Loeil.

L’Art islamique en Orient I, II and III (Islamic Art in the East I, II and III)

In 1922, he worked on publishing the first book of his Islamic art reproductions entitled Alttürkishe Keramik or L’Art islamique en Orient – Première Partie (Islamic Art in the East – Part One, published in French). In 1923, with the financial backing of American millionaire Charles Crane, he commissioned the printing of L’Art islamique en Orient, Deuxième Partie (Fragments d’architecture religieuse et civile) (Islamic Art in the East, Part Two (Fragments of Religious and Civil Architecture)) and L’Art islamique en Orient, Troisième Partie (Islamic Art in the East, Part Three), published in French in Prague by the Printing House Schulz. On 2 March, the two parties concluded an agreement. Schulz wrote: “With reference to our oral interview of today, we are delighted to inform you that we agree to print parts II and III of your work “L’Art islamique en Orient” containing 60 plates… […] The price for each copy is 360 Kč. Each part will take six months to complete. The terms of payment are as follows: half at the start and the other half at the end of the work.”https://katalog.ibb.gov.tr/yordam/?p=1&dil=7&tip=gelismis&gorunum=liste&tk=&alan=&q=tum_txt:(alexandre%20raymond)

Une ville célèbre, l’Angora ou l’antique Ancyre (A Famous City, Angora or Antique Ancyra).

In 1923, at the same time as publishing L’Art islamique, he published a volume on the treasures of Turkey, Une ville célèbre, l’Angora ou l’antique Ancyre (A Famous City, Angora or Antique Ancyra) once again with Schulz. This book is dedicated to the memory of Pierre Loti.

During the first months of 1924, he resided in Prague to assist with the printing of L’Art islamique en Orient 2. Then he returned to France in the springtime.

In July 1924, he moved with his wife and children to the west suburbs of Paris, to 31 rue du Progrès in Colombes. He pursued ongoing written correspondence with Rudolf Ulrich, Charles Crane’s secretary, and with Schulz, the printer. Schulz and Ulrich asked him to go back to Prague to oversee the publication of L’Art islamique en Orient 3. He received a monthly cheque of 100 US dollars from Charles Crane via Ulrich, but he had to play a role in the distribution and sales. Copies were shipped to Constantinople to Librairie Raymond (Raymond Bookshop), to a bookshop in Cairo, to the Harrassowitz Verlag publishing house in Leipzig and to Princeton University in the state of New Jersey in United States. Alexandre Raymond managed to distribute some copies of his books to Parisian bookshops.

However, as the months went by, the tone of the correspondence became less cordial. Sales were insufficient. In June 1925, Charles Crane suspended his monthly financial aid as well as financing the book printing process. L’Art islamique en Orient III was, therefore, not printed.

On 16 June 1925, he wrote to Schulz: “following your letter, it appears that a liquidator account would be necessary: as such, I waive all the stock to you that you may distribute in America or in Central Europe and, with this sum, I will be able to return to Constantinople and resume my former occupation because by staying in France, I would be leaving myself open to hardship or even suicide.”

The same year, as Alexandre Raymond could no longer pay the rent for his home, he and his family moved to a smaller property, still in the town of Colombes, at 63 boulevard Gambetta.

Faïences décoratives de la Vieille Turquie (Decorative Faience in Ancient Turkey)

Alexandre Marc Raymond published Faïences décoratives de la Vieille Turquie (Decorative Faience in Ancient Turkey) through the Albert Morancé publishing house in Paris; a little book that reproduced some of the plates from L'Art Islamique en Orient and introduced new ones. To present his book, Alexandre Raymond wrote: “It was back in the 12^th century in Koniah (Konya) that Seljuk dynasty sultans’ ceramists began creating their decorative adornments of which superb vestiges still remain today, and at no other time in history Eastern ceramics were this exquisite. Although Seljuks were Orthodox Muslims, they did not totally disapprove of representations of people and animals. They would actually make them using four colours: light blue and dark blue (turquoise and cobalt), manganese violet and white, colours that have been enhanced by a sublime patina over the years. The finest examples of this period are at Syrtehali Madrasa (1242) and Karataï Madrasa (1251). In Syrtehali, the light blue faience is mixed with squares of Persian terracotta, work specific to Persian ceramics. [...] By taking the Koniah work into account, we can therefore conclude that faience mosaic art has its origins in Khorasan in Persia. To create these masterpieces, Turkish artists selected the models for their ornamentation from plants in their kitchen gardens, flowers in their gardens and in their prairies. By making subsequent modifications, they gifted them with an outstandingly decorative conventional character that was in perfect harmony with the material used to depict them. And, given the magnificently vibrant ornamentation Turkish artists obtained with squares of faience, it is astounding to think it is sometimes criticized and considered as being rigid and strict. […] Ceramists from Kütahya, Koniah and Iznik masters, perpetuated processes that, in more recent times, still resulted in remarkable works epitomized through the vibrant tone of their colours and the elegance of their lines. These works were showcased at the International Exposition of 1867 in Paris and in Vienna in 1873. Hamdy Bey (Osman Hamdi Bey), curator of the National Museums in Paris in 1867, promoted the objects exhibited and illustrated what could be learned and drawn from this ever-so oriental or, to be exact, ever-so Turkish art that beautifully adorned the exquisite mosques of Anatolia, Stamboul and Adrianople.”

La Basilique de Sainte Sophie (Αγία Σοφία) de Constantinople (The Basilica of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople)

In 1928, financial hardships would once again compel Alexandre Raymond and his family to move and settle in 29 bis Villa de la Reine Henriette, still in the suburban town of Colombes.

Over the next two years, Alexandre Raymond worked on a colossal project that he considered to be his life’s work: La Basilique de Sainte Sophie (Αγία Σοφία) de Constantinople (The Basilica of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople). He used his knowledge of the monument, the work and notes left by his father, the architect Marc Raymond, and a substantial amount of art photos taken of the inside of the building. The undeniable originality of the drawings (ink, watercolour, gold-leaf and silver paintings) is that they represent Hagia Sophia before the Muslims covered it with lime mosaics. Only one drawing of Hagia Sophia, relating to the period when Alexandre Raymond took on his work, 1931, existed.

A presentation pamphlet (4 pages) was printed somewhat hastily. It contains the description of the work to be published: “in-4, Jesus, printed on bulky paper, excluding text in mock bistre, by the master printer J. Poan. Photos of historic engravings created by the art studio Turon Lagau. The set contained in cardboard packaging designed in an Evangelion shape is available on subscription at a price of 650 francs per volume. Appended to the work: 50 photos of historic engravings 165 X 220 cm depicting the plans, façades, longitudinal and transverse sections, colonnades, general views, restoration of the famous cupola, mosaics, marble facings, major mosaic icons, etc. documents that are indisputably authentic and supported by text photos.” The entire work totals some 88 representations of various sizes. The drawings are complemented by the text describing Hagia Sophia (Αγία Σοφία) written by Procopius of Caesarea, the text of the Holy Wisdom, also known as Holy Sophia, Divine Wisdom, by Anonymous and a historic and descriptive text from the author.

Alexandre Raymond entered into contact with the printer J. Poan in Colombes. The book was set to be published in October 1929. But the cost of such a work was far beyond his financial capacities. So, he renewed contact with Charles Crane in the United States. He sent him two copies of the work in September 1929 and asked Charles Crane to send them back two years later, in January 1931. He proposed to dedicate his book to the latter and to transfer fifty original books to him to finance the price of publishing. Charles Crane refused the proposal. So, he dedicated his work to Gustave Schlumberger, a well-known author of books on the Byzantine period. In the end, the book was not printed. Alexandre Raymond wrote: “My voluminous book on the Basilica of Hagia Sophia (Αγία Σοφία) of Constantinople has experienced substantial issues as regards being published as oversized and, as such, is still on the table. I have sacrificed a lot and I am tired. I am very depressed and need to take care of my view which has deteriorated through my work.”https://www.peramuseum.org/exhibition/from-istanbul-to-byzantium/1284

Relations with General Gouraud

Alexandre Raymond began corresponding with Henri Gouraud (general), Military Governor of Paris. He offered him a copy of Faïences décoratives de la Vieille Turquie (Decorative Faience in Ancient Turkey). In September 1928, with General Gouraud’s support, he sought appointment as Architect of the High Commissioner of the Republic in Syria, but another architect was appointed instead. He lunched with the General on 12 October 1928, who strived to put him in contact with patrons. On 16 October 1929, the General wrote to tell Alexandre Raymond that he had met with and had written to Baron Henri de Rothschild. In November, the General wrote to him: “A few weeks ago, I recommended you to Mr Henri de Rothschild, whom I was fortunate to meet, to inform him of the great interest of your work. He answered that he would get in touch with you. Did you meet him, did you show him your plates?” However, nothing would come out of this. In May 1930, the General sent Alexandre Raymond a copy of the letter he had addressed to the French Minister for Colonial Affairs François Piétri: “Dear Minister, I have taken interest in an artist of great talent, Mr Alexandre Raymond, who has devoted his life to studying Islamic and Byzantine Arts. I have, above all, seen plates created exquisitely of the Basilica of Hagia Sophia (Αγία Σοφία), which are all truly remarkable. Mr Raymond, like many artists, has no or little wealth and wishes to join your technical offices as an Architect specialized in Colonial arts. If I take the liberty of recommending him, it is not just out of interest for this man of great worth, but because he has a true talent and could be of service […]” The request would not be successful, yet; nonetheless, Alexandre Raymond would be appointed as Head of Expertise in Haute-Garonne. However, this work was only temporary and Alexandre Raymond’s material difficulties continued to mount. A fourth move would take the family to another district of Colombes, 15 rue du Drapeau.

Église des Saints-Apôtres (Church of the Holy Apostles)

Alexandre Raymond became interested in Christian art and developed a technique that required great rigour, which we could call “micro-mosaics”. By drawing from the texts written by Procopius of Caesarea, Constantine of Rhodes and Constantine Mazarius, he drew 35 representations of the Church of the Holy Apostles including an outstanding series of illustrations of the life of Christ.

Exhibition in June 1933 in Paris

General Gouraud granted his patronage for an exhibition that took place in the function hall of the town hall of the 13^th district of Paris. The exhibition entitled Visions féeriques d’Orient (Fantasy Perspectives of the East), grouped together some 172 plates: 80 plates from the Basilique de Sainte-Sophie de Constantinople (Basilica of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople) and 92 plates from L'Art Islamique en Orient (Islamic Art in the East). Alexandre Raymond’s name was not mentioned on the cover of the exhibition brochure. In Le Quotidien dated 27 June 1933, the following was written: “[…] This event, which is an opportunity to admire twenty-eight years of work by a learned Orientalist architect, Mr Alexandre Raymond, is one of the most interesting currently on show. Mr Alexandre Raymond illustrates his passionate devotion to the architectural wonders of the Middle East and, in particular, to those from Stamboul, Scutari, Koniah and Bursa, through his impeccable learnedness. Through a series of outstanding plates, he introduces us to some of the most exquisite monuments of Turkish and Byzantine arts. Hagia Sophia (Αγία Σοφία) is the first to be studied through its most characteristic aspects. Mr Raymond has even gone as far as striving to reproduce the mosaic tiles, today deteriorated and, in terms of the beauty of his work, he has accomplished this. Here is the Green Mosque, Bursa, with admirably precise details […] Series of minarets that invite us to contemplate Muslim art in all its forms, such as those in Stamboul, Bursa and Cairo. […] There are also fine reproductions of the Iznik faience, which has adorned the Rüstem Pasha Mosque in Stamboul since the sixteenth century. […] J.-M. A.” The Bulletin officiel du Comité “France-Orient” (Official Bulletin of the “France-Orient” Committee) states: “This exhibition comprises 180 plates […] A) The Basilica of Hagia Sophia (Αγία Σοφία) of Constantinople […] B) The Apostolon of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. […] C) Muslim Sanctuaries in Koniah during the Seljuk era: Yeşil Cami, the Green Mosque in Bursa that Pierre Loti acclaimed. Stamboul, epitomizing its magical opera décor bathed in light and glory. We invite the artist to renew this Art event for the Members of the “France-Orient” Committee in the salons at the Cercle d’Iéna ”. At this time, however, Alexandre Raymond and his family were going through a fifth forced relocation in Colombes, this time to 104 rue Saint Denis.

Byzantine mosaics

Alexandre Raymond created 55 plates grouped together under the title Essai de reconstitution de mosaïques byzantines (Attempt to reproduce Byzantine mosaics). He portrayed the most famous mosaics of Greek, Italian and Turkish churches. He used photos that he divided into segments and then scale reproduced down to the finest detail; a surprising technique that would much later on be known as “micro-mosaics”.

Théodora

Pursuing with mosaics, he created 14 original illustrations of highlights of the life of Empress Theodora, his final work, which he completed on 12 March 1940.

Final years and death

In 1935, Alexandre Raymond tried to be appointed expert in Vaucluse where exceptionally-heavy flooding of the River Rhône had caused considerable devastation. His request was unsuccessful. In 1936, he wrote a letter to the Tunisian State. He offered to make a survey of the finest fragments of Islamic religious buildings in Tunisia with the idea of a future exhibition. He tried once again to be part of the International Exhibition of Art and Technology in Modern Life of 1937 for which he created Fontaine mausolée d’Asiyadé, (Mausoleum Fountain of Aziyadé), but suffered yet another setback. He moved home for the sixth time in the town of Colombes to a small one-bedroom apartment at 14 rue Victor Hugo. He died in total poverty, during the Occupation, on 16 May 1941 at the age of 69. He is buried in the Gabriel Péri Communal Cemetery in Colombes.

“Micro-mosaics”

Alexandre Raymond’s “micro-mosaics” evoked contemporary-day pointillism and the yet-to-come pixellation. Alexandre Raymond worked with a plank of wood on his lap, a magnifying glass in one hand and a paintbrush or a dip pen in the other. He would cut the tip of the nib so he could reproduce the tesserae perfectly. Enlargements, now possible thanks to digitization, enable us to appreciate the quality of his work.

Major works

Paintings, drawings and plans

Plan de l’Institut pour la Construction Séricicole de Brousse (Plan for the Institute for sericulture development in Bursa) (1893)

Plan des Travaux de Parachèvement de l’Agence d’Angora (Working drawings for the completion of the Ankara Office) (1895)

Plan de Construction de l’Agence à Ada Bazar (Construction plans for the Ottoman Public Debt Office in Adapazari) (1896)

Sanctuaires Byzantins (Byzantine Sanctuaries)

L’Art Islamique dans le Vilayet de Brousse (18 cartes et croquis) (Islamic Art in the Bursa Vilayet (18 cards and sketches)

L’Art Islamique en Orient (première partie) ou Vieilles Faïences Turques (36 dessins), première édition : Alttürkishe Keramik, (Islamic Art in the East (part one) or Ancient Turkish Faience (36 drawings), first edition: Alttürkishe Keramik, Published by Apollo, Bologna, 1923, (with an introduction by Charles Wulzinger, 36 drawings (40 Plates) printed by Schulz on behalf of Librairie Raymond (bookshop) (Péra, Constantinople); second edition printed in France in Montauban. A large-sized book planned to be the first part of a set of three books with the general title L’Art Islamique en Orient (Islamic Art in the East).

L’Art Islamique en Orient (deuxième partie) ou Fragments d’Architecture Religieuse et Civile, (Islamic Art in the East (part two) or Fragments of Religious and Civil Architecture) printed in Prague,1924, 52 CMY drawings, Librairie Raymond, oriental art and archaeology publications, Péra – Constantinople – Dedicated to Charles Richard Crane with a preface by the author dated 15 July 1923.

L’Art Islamique en Orient - Troisième Partie (Islamic Art in the East - Part Three). It was to include 60 drawings of panelling, fountains, illuminations, of the Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque in Stamboul, the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, masterpiece of the architect Atik Sinan with timeline, plans, longitudinal and transverse sections, 12 pages of text (49 x 35.5 cm), unpublished.

Faïences Décoratives de la Vieille Turquie, (Decorative Faience in Ancient Turkey), Paris, Albert Morance, 1927, 29 plates including 3 double pages. Loose sketches and plans in document files, half-black canvas, first flat image illustrated in colour.

La Basilique de Sainte Sophie (Αγία Σοφία) de Constantinople (The Basilica of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople), 88 drawings (ink, watercolour, gouache, gold-leaf paint): pillars, doorways, corridors, vaults, the great cupola, mosaics, plans, façades, longitudinal and transverse sections, general perspectives, marble facings, major mosaic icons. Three descriptive manuscripts by Procopius of Caesarea, by Anonymous and by the author, 1928-29.

Essai de Reconstitution de la Basilique des Saints-Apôtres, (Attempt to reproduce the Basilica of the Holy Apostles) 37 drawings, 1933.

Mosaïques Byzantines, (Byzantine Mosaics) 55 drawings, 1935.

Mosaïques Byzantines, (Theodora, Byzantine Empress) 14 drawings, 1940.

Published texts

L’Art du constructeur en Turquie, (The Art of Construction in Turkey), 1908, Alexandria.

Revue Technique d’Orient, 1910-1911, as Editor-in-Chief: miscellaneous articles.

Une ville célèbre Angora (L’antique Ancyre), (A Famous City, Angora (Antique Ancyra)), Schulz, Prague, 1924.

Manuscripts

Manuscript of introductory, descriptive and/or explanatory texts for La Basilique de Sainte Sophie (Αγία Σοφία) de Constantinople (The Basilica of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople), Essai de Reconstitution de la Basilique des Saints-Apôtres (Attempt to reproduce the Basilica of the Holy Apostles), Mosaïques Byzantines (Byzantine Mosaics) and Théodora de Byzance (Theodora, Byzantine Empress).

Encyclopédie Byzantine et Musulmane (Byzantine and Muslim Encyclopaedia) (unpublished) – [from Antonina –BYZANCE – CONSTANTINOPLE- STAMBOUL- CHRYSOPOLIS (Scutari) – CHALCEDON(Cadi-Keuy) BOSPORUS – Princes’ Islands – since 675 (BCE) until the present day, based on accounts from the most reliable authors and travellers, on information and enquiries and surveys from Marc Raymond, checked, corrected, reproduced and enhanced by his eldest son, Alexandre M. Raymond, Architect. (35 studies)]

Exhibitions

1933,10-30 juin, Vision féériques d’Orient (Fantasy Perspectives of the East), Paris, town hall of 13^th district.

1956, 26 May-June, Festival d’architecture et d’art monumental (Monument Architecture and Art Festival), Grand Palais, Paris. Exhibition of some originals from La Basilique de Sainte Sophie (Αγία Σοφία) de Constantinople (The Basilica of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople).

1999, 2 September-9 October, Yapı Kredi Cultural Centre, exhibition space of the Sermet Çifter Library, İstiklál Cad. 285, Beyoğlu, Turkey. Exhibition of originals from L’Art Islamique en Orient 1,2 et 3(Islamic Art in the East 1, 2 and 3).
2021-2022 Cornucopia magazine n°63 and 64 AND THE REVIEW Dayli Sabah talks about the exhibition at the Péra Museum – November 2021 – March 2022 – of several of his originals concerning Ayia-Sophia, Theodora and Constantinople (Istanbul).
https://www.cornucopia.net/events/from-istanbul-to-byzantium/
https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/events/from-istanbul-to-byzantium-rediscovery-of-byzantine-heritage
https://www.peramuseum.org/exhibition/from-istanbul-to-byzantium/1284

Catalogue raisonné

The catalogue raisonné is currently being produced (2020).

Notes and references

· Bir Mimar, Bir Yorum, Alexandre Raymond, 1999, Afife Batur. https://www.bitmezat.com/en/product/6490600/bir-mimar-bir-yorum-alexandre-raymond-sennue-senturk-eylul-1999-yky-115-sayfa

· Exhibition brochure, private collection

· Le Quotidien, 27 June 1933, page 2 https://news.hrvh.org/veridian/?a=d&d=ieadbehj19330627-01

· Bulletin officiel du Comité- « France-Orient » (Official Bulletin of the “France-Orient” Committee), page 11, 1^st May 1933 https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k4766433r?rk=64378;0

Bibliography

Afife Batur, Bir Mimar Bir Yorum : Alexandre Raymond, 1999 https://www.bitmezat.com/en/product/6490600/bir-mimar-bir-yorum-alexandre-raymond-sennue-senturk-eylul-1999-yky-115-sayfa