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August 11, 2023

A Visit to Chateau de Fontainebleau, France

There is so much to take in and see in France, you would need several lifetimes to take it all in. When we planned our last trip to France, a visit to the Chateau de Fontainebleau was on the top of the list. Fontainebleau is a national museum and UNESCO World Heritage Site number 160.


One of the largest French palaces, the Palace of Fontainebleau is located 55 kilometers from Paris.  It comprises 800 years of history!  Like I said, you would need several lifetimes to take it in.  Imagine this:  


It originally started out as a fortified medieval castle in the 12th century.  The castle was surrounded by forest fed by many springs that provided for the abundant game.  Thus it became a favorite hunting lodge and residence for the kings of France starting with Louis VII.  Fontainebleau was named after one of the springs the fountain de Bliaud. 


Unlike the mindset in the United States, where a new owner or inhabitant would tear down and demolish his predecessor’s place, and start fresh, the European mentality is to preserve and augment.  So, rather than tearing down the original hunting lodge, subsequent royal inhabitants simply added on to it.  They modified and embellished the castle to its current grand configuration.


Chateau de Fontainebleau

Chateau de Fontainebleau

Each king left his mark on the chateau, adding to and changing the configuration of buildings, courtyards, and elaborate grounds.  Consequently, the place is HUGE!  The gardens and grounds are spread over 230 acres.  The Chateau itself is immense.  It has more than 1,500 rooms.  Just imagine, the roof surface area alone is 5 acres.


With 800 years of history tucked away inside, there is no way you can see everything in just one visit.  So, we decided to tour the Napoleon I Museum and the Grands Apartments.  An additional bonus for us was that they are accessible to mobility-impaired persons.  To our amazement, admission was free of charge for people with disabilities and one accompanying person.  An audio guide in English had a minimal cost.  To start, a receptionist brought us to an elevator that led to the Apartments and handed each of us an English audio guide with headphones. 

 

Gallery of Francis I

As we exited the elevator we saw this magnificently carved door.   


The intricacy and detail of the carved doors left us breathless.  It was just the start of what treasures would be unlocked behind them. 

  

As we opened the door, it led to the Gallery of Francis I.  Have you ever seen such a fine example of Renaissance decoration?  

Just peer down this magnificent space, what a visual feast.  The details were a sensory overload:


The Gallery of Francis I connects the King’s apartments with the chapel.  The detail was already pretty overwhelming. The master Italian furniture maker Francisco Scibed da Carpi created the bottom part of the walls.  They are decorated with the emblem of the King, the salamander, and the coat of arms of France.


The upper part of the walls is covered by frescos which in turn are framed by intricately sculpted stucco. 


The king’s virtues are told via mythological scenes in the frescos.

Even the ceiling was intricately carved woodwork!  We wondered how many man-hours it took to complete just one panel.  All this was done without the use of electricity, without modern machinery, lathes, power drills, power sanders, without computers….


Room of the Guards

A bit further on, we found ourselves in the Room of the Guards.  This room was redecorated by Louis Philippe in the 19th century to be used as a salon.  Although no expense was spared here, the room “recycles” or incorporates ornamental pieces from the 15th and 16th centuries that were originally in other rooms which had been demolished.  Just look at the opulence of the fireplace.  The bust in its center is of Henry IV, and the two figures on either side of the fireplace are examples of this “recycling” effort.  In fact, the sculpted frame around the bust was originally located in the bed-chamber of Henry II.

Next, I draw your attention to the ceiling! Have you ever seen such detail on a ceiling?

Next, take a look at the floor.  When Louis Philippe redecorated the room a new parquet floor using exotic woods the intricate detail was to complement and mirror the design of the ceiling.

Then, years later, this room was used as a dining room during Napoleon III’s reign.  Just check out this gigantic round table. I was fascinated by the claws carved into the feet of the table.  They triggered fond memories of my grandmother’s dining room table, which had similarly carved claws on its legs.  (For family gatherings, Grandma would have a large tablecloth draped over it and the table perfectly set. My brother and I were quite young and found it a perfect place to hide under the table with the table cloth providing the perfect cover for us.  Those table feet, the claws were a bit scary and quite intriguing to a small child!)

One more exquisite piece that Louis Philippe added to decorate this room was this Sèvres porcelain vase.  It is decorated with Renaissance themes and on top of that, it is embellished with precious stones:

Look at the details incorporated on this vase, just breathtaking!

Oval Courtyard with the Porte du Baptistère

When I peered out of one of the windows of the royal apartments, this was the view of the Oval Courtyard overlooking the gateway called the Porte du Baptistère with its dome.


Stairway of the King

Next, we headed to the Stairway of the King.  Designed by the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, it was installed in 1748/1749.  The use of marble was impressive enough.  But as you looked up, the upper walls consist of panels with scenes that represent the love life of Alexander the Great.

Either side of the paintings was framed by large statues of women by Primatice.

Looking up to the ceiling proved to be quite dizzying:

But, wow!  Well worth getting dizzy and taking in the art, craftsmanship, and colors.  Speaking of ceilings, look at this one with its chandelier.  (Unfortunately, I did not note, exactly where in the palace this was taken.)

In an alcove of one of the hallways, I spotted this marble statue by Niccolo Pericoli called Tribolo.  It was commissioned for François I in 1529 as a support for a bowl:


The Rooms of Saint Louis (Louis IX)

We passed through the rooms of Saint Louis (Louis IX) in the oldest part of the palace:

Again, I was mesmerized by the ceiling panels dating to the 18th century and its magnificent chandeliers:



 Situated i
n between two windows, I spied this unusual clock.  

Just look at the fine details incorporated into its stand:


The second room had this beautiful marble fireplace.  Notice the framed white bas relief of Henry IV on horseback above the fireplace.

As I approached the fireplace, I was fascinated by the fireplace screen to keep the burning embers from falling into the room and the bronze statue next to it.  

Upon further examination, I noticed that even the back of the fireplace had detailed decoration:


I could not help myself to once again look up and examine
 the arched ceiling separating the rooms.  Every nook and cranny was decorated and adorned. 


The Salon des Tapisseries

The Salon des Tapisseries (or the Tapestries Living Room) certainly lived up to its name.  That is not wallpaper on the walls!  It is a woven piece of art.  

Just look at the wonderful tapestries adorning this room:




Gallery of Diana

Here is a peek at the Gallery of Diana, a vast corridor, which was roped off, so we could not walk through and admire this fascinating space.  It was named after the paintings on the vaulted ceiling depicting scenes from the Goddess of the Hunt, namely Diana.  Under the reign of Napoleon III, the corridor was turned into a library.  Your eyes will be immediately drawn to the large globe near the entrance.  Also, notice the bookshelves on either side.  

Tucked away behind the marble columns, I could also see large vases decorating the space.

The Queens Bedroom

Next is a peek at the Queen's Bedroom.  This room was used by all of the Queens and Empresses of France, from Marie De Medici (wife of Henry IV) to Empress Eugenie (wife of Napoleon III).


In the mid-1700s, Marie Leczinska, the Queen of Louis XV, had the room redecorated in the rocaille style.  More precisely the redecoration was of the ceiling, the decoration around the windows, the wood paneling, and the fireplace decoration. 

Again, just take a look at this ceiling and the chandelier:

The bed was made for Marie Antoinette.  

However, Marie Antoinette's bed was not completed until 1797, after the French Revolution and her execution. However, it did get used by Napoleon’s wives, Empress Josephine and Marie-Louise of Austria.


The furniture in the room dates back to the First Empire (1804 – 1815), during the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte.  In 1805, the walls were covered with textiles bearing a design of flowers and birds.  They were painstakingly restored between 1968 and 1986 modeled after the original fabric.  It never ceases to amaze me the craftsmanship that went into this endeavor.  The colors were so vivid and brilliant.  The photos really do not do them justice.

Bedroom of Emperor Napoleon (1808–1814)

Have you ever been curious what the bed-chamber of Napoleon looked like?  This extraordinary room is it.  The canopied bed was specially made for Emperor Napoleon. I was surprised that the bed is actually quite short, to match the Emperor’s height.  He was 5’2” (or 1.68m) tall.  To make the bed appear more grandiose, it was raised up from the ground.  Notice the matching step stool up against the side of the bed: it was there so that the Emperor could climb into it. Scroll back up to the picture of Marie Antoinette’s bed.  You will notice that her bed also had a stepping stool next to it.


The top of the canopy of Emperor Napoleon’s bed is decorated to look like a crown, displaying the imperial eagle and decorated with allegorical sculptures that represent Glory, Justice, and Abundance.

Notice the chairs near the fireplace.  Look closely: their special design features one side higher than the other. The higher side (facing the room) assured the heat from the fireplace is captured.  The lower side (facing the fireplace) allowed the occupants to see the decorations of the fireplace and observe the fire within.


Sallandrouze made a special carpet for Napoleon.  Its design bore an emblem in the shape of the cross of the Legion of Honor.  Each branch of the cross symbolizes civilian and military attributes.


Once again, the visitors' eyes are also drawn to the exquisite chandelier, which is also reflected by the large mirror over the fireplace.


Below is a seating area in Napoleon's bed-chamber on the opposite side of the room, exactly opposite of his bed.

When we exited the Emperor's Bedroom, we found ourselves in a simply furnished room, the salon, I believe.  Here I spied the most fascinating clock on a pedestal:


 Here is a close-up of the face of the clock:

The arc on the top of the face was for the signs of the zodiac.  Let’s start from the bottom left of the arc and go clockwise to follow the various indicators: the phases of the sun, the days of the week (at the 12 o'clock position), the phases of the moon, the day of the week (at 3), the calendar day, equinoxes and solstices (at 6), the months, leap year or not (at 9); and then finally in the very center hours, minutes and seconds were displayed.


Finally, as we exited our self-guided tour, I was once again completely in awe of the huge carved wooden door we had passed through at the beginning of our self-guided tour.

Without the use of modern electric tools, how many man-hours did it take to create this door?  How many artisans were involved in its creation?  What tools did they use? Once it was completed, how many persons did it take to bring it to its present location?  What did it take to balance and hang the door?  How many people have laid their eyes on this beautiful door, since its creation?


There is so much to see at this wonderful Chateau, and one afternoon certainly was not enough.  We barely scratched the surface and can’t wait for another visit in the future.


As an armchair traveler during these times of the Covid19 pandemic, I invite you to click on the link to the Chateau’s website and learn more of this enchanting and historic place:

https://www.chateaudefontainebleau.fr/   

The website is in French, however, you can choose "English" on the menu bar at the top.


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2 comments:

  1. So much that went in to the palace! I hope one day I can go see it in person as well. So much culture and history there. You described it so well!

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  2. Thank you. It truly is an exceptional place to discover. There was so much to take in. I sincerely hope you will be able to see it in person. Here is a tip: museums in major cities will at times receive some of the exceptional pieces for display in exchange programs. You may want to keep your eye open for such special exhibits.

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