Overview
Your group should have walking tours for their inside visit which will have been distributed by their teachers. Their walking tour is not exactly the same as the one that follows. These notes are intended to help you to answer questions and give some commentary before your arrival at the château.
On the drive out from Paris it might be a good idea to give a short overview of French history since Francis I. The main periods of building were under Francis I, Henry II, Henry IV and Louis XIII. These kings particularly loved Fontainebleau and after them Napoleon, Louis Philippe and Napoleon III spent extended periods here and left their mark on the château. (For more historical details, please consult ACIS TM Notes Kings of France.)
Fontainebleau is a big contrast to Versailles, which is the megalomaniac creation of the Sun King, designed to impress, to overawe and to stun with its extravagant opulence and sheer scale. Fontainebleau was never used as a principal court residence. Originally a hunting lodge, it was enlarged and embellished over the years by successive kings, but has always retained a certain atmosphere of domesticity, albeit of regal proportions. Fontainebleau has been chosen as the setting for important events, though chiefly of an intimate or highly emotional nature, for example the birth of Louis XIII, the marriage of Louis XV and the abdication of Napoleon.
The name is said to be either a corruption of fontaine belle eau or to derive from Bliaut, one of the king’s hounds that discovered a legendary spring of water in the forest. In 1169 Louis VII had the chapel of his manor consecrated by Thomas Becket, who was at that time in exile in France. Philippe Auguste celebrated Christmas here on his return from the Third Crusade in 1191 and the castle was a favourite residence of the Capetians until the English invasions forced the Kings of France to retire beyond the Loire.
All this is of somewhat academic interest however, since when Francis I came along in 1528 he pulled down the medieval château and started work on a Renaissance palace of pleasure. The interior decorations were supervised by Rosso, a pupil of Michelangelo, and Primaticcio from Bologna. They developed a distinctive style which came to be known as the Fontainebleau school.
The French associate Fontainebleau with Napoleon and more especially with his abdication. This may be the occasion to talk about Napoleon’s place in the French psyche. Although undoubtedly a tyrant, he has always appealed to their sense of destiny. He combined the achievements of the Revolution with the prestige of the Empire and his life reads like a novel. For more than twenty years everything went right for him. Rising from Captain to General in a mere four months he then married one of the most beautiful women in Paris and, through her influence, was made supreme commander of the French army in Italy. After a succession of brilliant victories and an astonishing campaign in Egypt he returned to France where the political situation was in total disarray. The leadership was there for the taking and he did not hesitate. After further victories, which left him the master of Europe, he sensed that the time was right to be crowned Emperor. He persuaded the Pope to come to Paris for the ceremony, but at the last moment took the crown from the hands of the pontiff and placed it on his own head.
Although his career ended in both military and political defeat, his soldiers loved him as few commanders have ever been loved and were ready to follow him one last time in the adventure of the One Hundred Days between his escape from Elba and the debacle of Waterloo. Politically, despite the Restoration of the monarchy in 1814, the Revolution and the Napoleonic years had changed the face of French society and disseminated ideas of liberty and democracy throughout Europe which were to shape the history of the 19th century. He gave to France a heroic period of unprecedented influence in European history and appealed to their sense of panache in international relations.
In addition, Napoleon was a vastly talented politician, administrator and lawmaker. His lasting legacy has been the national administrative system, the Code Civil, the education system including the baccalauréat and the French franc, all of which are still in use today.
When you arrive at Fontainebleau, take a moment to gather up your group in the centre of the courtyard (the “Farewell Court”). Looking back to the gates through which you have just passed, point out the Imperial eagles and gilded standards bearing Napoleon’s initial. The courtyard used to be enclosed by a fourth range of buildings that were destroyed by the Emperor when he made this the main entrance to the château. Louis XIII added the horseshoe staircase, and you can evoke the scene when Napoleon, having signed the act of abdication, descended the staircase, slowly and white-faced. His Guard was drawn up in the courtyard and, after taking an emotional farewell of them, the fallen Emperor was driven away to exile on Elba.
Francis I built the wing to your right, as you can see from the F’s on the chimneys and the salamander over the door in the centre. You can contrast this with the left-hand wing that was reconstructed in classical style by Louis XV in the 18th century.
The courtyard is also known as the White Horse Court, a reminder of the plaster cast of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius from the Capitol in Rome which was placed here by Charles IX. Regrettably, the soldiers who mistook it for real marble used it for target practice.
The Visit
Buy tickets and direct the group up the stairs. The Musée Napoléon, a series of 15 rooms devoted to the Emperor and his family, is on the left, but they should start with the grands appartements to the right.
After showing your ticket you enter the Hall of Splendour which leads into the Gallery of Plates.
Gallery of Plates
This room was decorated in the 19th century by Louis Philippe to display a series of 128 decorated plates, made at Sèvres between 1844 onwards. Have a close look at them and you will see scenes from Fontainebleau and also countries visited by Louis Philippe (Niagara Falls is by the exit door).
The porcelain wedding chest commemorates the marriage of Louis Philippe’s son which took place at Fontainebleau in 1841.
Trinity Chapel
The chapel in its present form dates from the 16th and 17th centuries and stands on the site of the original convent founded by St Louis in 1259. Louis XV was married here and Napoleon’s son was christened here.
Francis I Gallery
Built between 1528 and 1530, the gallery originally opened on both sides like a covered passageway. Later Louis XVI altered it and erected a series of buildings along the left-hand side.
Notice the French windows with clouds painted on them, giving the illusion of lightness and symmetry to this blind wall. The gallery is Renaissance in inspiration and Rosso, an Italian artist and pupil of Michelangelo, supervised the decorative scheme. The combination of wood panelling, stucco (the figures and scrolls) and fresco (the painted scenes) is unusual in France and typical of Fontainebleau. The meaning of the allegorical paintings is difficult to interpret; the scenes are from classical mythology and probably allude to Francis’s life. But look closely at the way the bodies are painted, with careful observation of how all the muscles work. It is very similar to Michelangelo’s style, for example on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
Look out for Francis’s emblem, the salamander, his motto and the gilded F’s which are repeated along the gallery. There is a 19th-century bust of the king at the far end.
As fashions changed, subsequent royal owners did not hesitate to “do up” the château in the latest style. In this case the frescoes had been covered with 19th-century oil paintings. The original decoration was only rediscovered and restored in 1961.
Pass straight through the Guard’s Room. You will be returning here later. Follow the arrows through a small room and don’t miss the statue of Fertility on the left!
The King’s Staircase
Originally the chamber of Francis’s mistress the Duchess of Étampes. Look at the upper decoration and you will see some similarity with the gallery you have just left. The long-legged ladies are by Primaticcio. Notice how the style has evolved: the figures are exaggeratedly elongated and slender with sinuous arms and legs. We are moving towards the Mannerist style.
The floor of the room disappeared when Louis XV ordered a new staircase to give more convenient access to his apartment. Through the window you can see the Oval Court. The square-ish structure with a turret to the left is the original medieval keep and the oldest part of the château.
The Ballroom
One hundred feet long and 33 feet wide, the ballroom was used for banquets and formal receptions. The king would be placed on a platform positioned before the fireplace whilst the musicians occupied the gallery over the door.
The ballroom was unfinished at the time of Francis’s death and his son Henry II undertook its completion. Henry had a famous mistress called Diane de Poitiers and you can see many allusions to the goddess Diana and her crescent moon. You can also see the king’s monogram: an H intertwined with two C’s for his wife Catherine. Even at the time it escaped nobody’s notice that it looks more like an H and two D’s!
Take a look at the parquet floor. Commissioned by Louis Philippe, it exactly matches the magnificent ceiling dating from the 16th century.
Following the arrows, you will pass through a series of comfortably furnished small rooms. These are Madame de Maintenon’s Apartments.
Madame de Maintenon’s Apartments
She was the last mistress of Louis XIV and actually married him after the death of his wife, although she was never recognized as the Queen of France. She spent much time here at Fontainebleau, away from the showy world of Versailles. Notice the more reasonable size of the rooms, heated by the marble fireplaces: a contrast to the chilly splendour of the ballroom.
You now re-enter the Guard’s Room.
Guard’s Room
This is the first of the king’s apartments, where the royal bodyguards stood. The magnificent ceiling dates from Louis XIII. The last of the decoration was done for Louis Philippe. Although he was called the Bourgeois King, he also wanted to re-establish the legitimacy of the French royal family after years of revolutions and upheavals. You can spot the fleur-de-lys (symbol of French royalty) and the monograms of his various royal predecessors. The bust over the fireplace is of Henry IV.
The King’s Antechambers
The first room was called the Buffet Room because the buffets were set up there when the king took his meal in the chamber beyond. The equestrian bas-relief is of Henry IV.
Through the arch, the second room is actually situated in the ancient keep you saw from the window. It was the king’s bedchamber until the end of the 16th century. You may wonder why the blinds are drawn: the dim light is necessary to protect the colours in the decorations and the tapestries. This is also the reason you are not allowed to take flash photos.
Louis XIII Salon
Under Henry IV this room was the king’s Cabinet, called the Oval Chamber. Here the king held council, gave audience to ambassadors, signed certain marriage contracts and witnessed oaths of fealty. Here also occurred the removing of the king’s boots after the hunt.
In 1757 the room lost its oval shape when four great doors were opened. Notice how they partially destroyed the series of paintings dating from 1610—you can see where the frames have been cut. Royal owners did not have the respect for conservation that we have today.
On the ceiling near the entrance door you can see Cupid riding a dolphin. This commemorates the birth in this room of the Dauphin Louis, future Louis XIII, in 1601. The baby’s father, Henry IV, had decreed that the Queen should give birth in this room surrounded by the Ministers of State so that there should be no doubt that the baby was indeed his heir.
Francis I Salon
We now enter the Queen’s Apartments. You will recognize the Renaissance style of Primaticcio’s fireplace. Anne of Austria modified all the other decoration in the 17th century. At different periods the room was used as the Queen’s bedroom, the formal royal dining room and as an antechamber.
Tapestry Salon
Have a look at the Renaissance-style ceiling, made of Scots pine in 1835, and the two ebony chests in the Boulle style, popular in the 19th century. The brass and tortoise-shell marquetry is reversed on each chest like a photographic negative. The tapestries, showing the story of Psyche, were woven in Paris in the 17th century.
The Empress’s Antechamber leads to the Gallery of Diane.
Gallery of Diane
Built in 1600, this 230 ft passageway used to connect the Queen’s Apartment with the aviary. It was turned into a library by Napoleon, for whom the globe was also made.
White Drawing Room
Redecorated under Louis Philippe in Louis XV style. This type of decoration is still very common in traditional upper-class French apartments. The furniture is in the Empire style from the time of Napoleon.
Queen’s Drawing Room
Marie Antoinette had this room entirely redecorated by Rousseau in 1786. The Roman city of Pompeii had recently been discovered and the “arabesque” style that imitated Roman wall paintings was all the rage. It is hard to believe that all the painting is flat, especially the imitation bas-reliefs over the doors. The effect is called trompe l’oeil because your eye is deceived into visualizing three dimensions. In this room the Queen and court would play card games.
Queen’s Bedchamber
From the 17th century onwards all the queens of France slept in this room. Anne of Austria designed the ceiling and the HML over the alcove is for Marie Leszczyńska, Louis XV’s queen.
The doors with arabesques were installed for Marie Antoinette, who also ordered the splendid duchess bed. She never saw it, however, as it was delivered after she lost her head, and the first occupant was the Empress Joséphine. Joséphine added the imperial ostrich plumes on the top and also the balustrade, a reminder of former etiquette. The rest of the furniture was made for her.
If you look in the corner to the left of the bed you can see a small door cut unobtrusively into the wall hangings. Such doors connected with the network of passageways and staircases used by the servants. Only the nobility used the public doors and stairways.
The Queen’s Boudoir
This ravishing creation was designed for Marie Antoinette, again in the Pompeian style. The silvery background is white gold.
The furniture in this room has an extraordinary story to tell. The Queen ordered the mother-of-pearl workbasket and roll-topped desk to match the room. During the Revolution all the furniture was looted and dispersed and it was only in 1956 that a French scholar discovered these two items in a sale in New York. They returned to the château in 1961.
The two armchairs are copies of the only remaining original, which is now in a museum in Lisbon, and the footstool was purchased in a public sale. In most châteaux the furniture disappeared during the Revolution and it is unusual to find the exact pieces that were ordered by the royal family still in place.
Throne Room
Under the kings this was the most important room in the palace: the king’s bedroom. All the kings slept here from Henry IV to Louis XVI. Then, in 1808, Napoleon had it adapted into a throne room. He did not destroy the original decoration, however, and you can still see the royal fleur-de-lys on the ceiling.
The lavish decoration is executed in three shades of gold. Look carefully across at the doors and you will see them: yellow, pink and green. The throne canopy is topped with ostrich feathers and embroidered with bees. The bee is an ancient Greek symbol for the perfect state and also represents hard work—a virtue which Napoleon, the self-made man, fully appreciated. The Emperor also borrowed the ancient Roman standard, but instead of the letters SPQR (the Senate and the People of Rome) he simply put his own initial. The portrait above the fireplace is of Louis XVIII.
Leaving the Throne Room you pass through a tiny valet’s room, enchantingly decorated with flowers, into the Council Chamber.
The Council Chamber
The decoration is typically 18th century from the time of Louis XV. Notice the floral and pastoral themes that were fashionable at the time. You can look back into the Throne Room through the ceremonial double doors that would have been used to admit nobles to the royal presence.
The following three rooms are the Imperial Suite used by Napoleon, consisting of two bedchambers and the “Abdication Chamber.”
You exit down the stairs via the bookshop (toilets). If you follow signs back to the Vestiaire you will come to the newly opened Musée Chinois—three rooms displaying the spectacular Chinese collection of the Empress Eugénie (wife of Napoleon III). This amazing display is composed in part of gifts from the Ambassador of Siam and partly of objects looted from the Summer Palace in Peking during the Anglo-French campaign of 1860.
If you have time to explore the gardens you will discover various paths along the carp pond and ornamental lake and through the different courtyards to the Garden of Diana with peacocks and the Dog Fountain.