Background
Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine was born on the 20th of September, 1762 in Pontoise, canton of Pontoise, France.
Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine was born on the 20th of September, 1762 in Pontoise, canton of Pontoise, France.
Percier and his collegue Fontaine became acquainted with each other while both were studying architecture in Paris. Percier won the Prix de Rome in 1786 and spent the following years studying in Rome with Fontaine, who became his lifelong friend. They returned to Paris in 1790 and set up their own practice; their work eventually attracted the attention of Josephine Bonaparte, Napoleon’s wife, and she engaged them to renovate her Château de Malmaison (1800–02). From then on the Bonapartes became their principal patrons.