We do, however, have a handful of engravings in scholarly books that describe his earlier inspirations and professional achievements. Although Le Vau never visited Italy, he was increasingly affected throughout his career by contemporary Italian trends. Le Vau, “collected and carefully studied through prints, books and drawings the works of Italian architects and builders of Classical and Renaissance Rome, such as Vitruvius, Andrea Palladio and Sebastiano Serlio” (Byme, 2005). Through the blending of these classical Roman and Italian Renaissance architectural styles, Le Vau developed a repertoire of design elements that he would use in the structure and ornamentation of his own works. In his previous collection of works, Le Vau designed large structures, retaining the French tradition of assembling various building units instead of establishing a uniform, unified whole. The classical elements surrounding the interior and facade of the building, such as pilasters, columns and pediments, seemed out of place, even sporadic, forcing the whole building to have a more provincial than monumental effect. This effect created by Le Vau was not that of traditional classical French architecture, but rather the beginning of Italian influence seeping into his design.