Victoria's Regencies
  • Welcome
  • About Me
  • News and Events
  • Victoria's Vibes -- a blog
  • My Books
    • An Ideal Match
    • Ask Jane
    • Cordelia's Corinthian
    • Miss Milford's Mistake
    • Miss Parker's Ponies
    • The Eligible Miss Elliott
    • The Fontainebleau Fan
    • The Tables Turned
    • BirthRights: a Dangerous Brew, Chapter One

The Palace of Fontainebleau, France

8/18/2022

1 Comment

 
Picture
Were Kristine and I surprised to see Fontainebleau for the first time swathed in scaffolding? Of course we were, having expected it to look like the image below, left, from Wikipedia Commons. Nor was it the only time we encountered ongoing conservation/restoration on our journey in Europe, March-
​April 2022.  We easily found another entrance (below right) and thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the sprawling
Château.
Before we went inside on the glorious spring day, we admired the flowering fruit trees and the abundant camellias in the courtyard. Please remember to click on the small pictures for larger versions.  We first toured the Napoleon Museum wing, which rather amused us since the day before we had been at Waterloo where Napoleon met his . . . Waterloo. Below left, the emperor who, even after  the Revolution in 1789, wanted to make his residence the long-standing principal palace of French monarchs, and his first wife, the Empress Joséphine de  Beauharnais
 Above, left and right: The décor of the rooms is a perfect example of the neo-classic style, corresponding to the Regency in Great Britain. Below, left, a lovely salon; right, a room displaying memorials to Napoleon's son, the King of Rome by his second wife, Marie of Austria.
Above, more décor, left. Right, Napoleon's bicorn chapeau and Greatcoat. Below left, the Chapel of the Trinity (La Chapelle de la Trinite), in a part of the Château dating from the 16th century, and below right, the Gallery of Francis I, an inspiration, it is said, for the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles.
Above, left, A bust of Francis I (1494-1547), King of France from 1515 to his death, who transformed the medieval palace begun in the 12th century into a Renaissance extravaganza.  Containing more than 1500 rooms, the Château
has been remodeled over and over ever since. It has been a national museum since 1927. Above right, typical décor on a staircase. Below left, the current construction restoring the Horseshoe Staircase, and on the right, Le Cour Ovale. 
Above left, the tippy top  of the main entrance; right, a clever portrayal of some of the famous residents on the wrapping around the construction. Below, when we arrived at our hotel, we found a antique/flea market on the pavement in front. Right, the hotel, Hotel de L'Aigle Noir  (black eagle), a lovely restful abode and a short walk to the Château.
.
Again we were amused to see the wallpaper and carpeting in our hotel room, with Napoleon's emblematic bees everywhere. Associated with hard work and industriousness, the bee was seen as a symbol of French capability. Considering our recent visit to Waterloo, we were forced to adjourn to the stylish hotel bar (right) for a celebratory beverage, undoubtedly a product of the losing French.
​    Next, to the Loire Valley.

1 Comment
Beth Elliott link
8/19/2022 07:31:32 am

Wonderful photos. I love Fontainebleau and your post makes me want to go back there again.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Victoria Hinshaw, Author


    Here I will share some of my articles on favorite topics, such as English Country Houses, the Regency Royals, Jane Austen, and the like. Some of these articles have been published elsewhere, probably on the blog I share with Kristine Hughes and Louisa
    ​Cornell:  numberonelondon.net

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    June 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    June 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Photo used under Creative Commons from amandabhslater