This is difficult to write as many wonderful moments with my dear late wife Martine visiting the castle and town of Fontainebleau in her region of Seine et Marne 77, and becoming Friends of the Castle since 2008. However, I like to bring them to life for memories’ sake. This is new text using older pictures from my vault, This time is on a special bedroom , the one of Anne of Austria ! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Château de Fontainebleau, a major place in the history of France and an essential monument of French heritage. This royal, then imperial residence, extends its history over more than 8 centuries, and has hosted all the French sovereigns from the Renaissance to the Second Empire, The bedroom/room of Queen Anne of Austria, which is located on the 1st floor of the castle , in the apartment known as the Queens Mothers. This apartment is located in a wing built under François 1er to connect 2 buildings between the Cour d’Honneur and the Cour Ovale. Henri II will convert it into an apartment which will be occupied by his widow Catherine de Médicis , then by the second wife of Henri IV and Queen of France, Marie de Médicis , and finally by Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII and mother of the future King Louis XIV. It will then welcome the Dauphin under Louis XIV, then distinguished guests, to then be occupied by Mesdames Henriette, Adélaïde and Victoire, the daughters of Louis XV. Split in two under Louis XVI, these apartments will house the Count of Provence, brother of Louis XVI and future Louis XVIII. In 1804, before his coronation on December 2 of the same year, Napoleon I had them fitted out for Pope Pius VII. Then, King Louis-Philippe of the 1st July Monarchy lodged his son there, while Napoleon III welcomed his cousin there. This is an older picture …you can see the same as the newer above.
It is a piece that I find above all impressive. It is very well preserved in its original version from 1660, decorated by Charles Errard and Jean Cotelle for the Queen. It shows what a royal apartment of the 17C was like, with a lot of very beautiful furniture and decors loaded, yes, but really sumptuous. Above the door, notice the portrait of Marie-Thérèse of Austria, wife of Louis XIV and Queen of France, which faces that of Anne of Austria, her mother-in-law done by Gilbert de Séve around 1660. This former bedroom of Anne of Austria has a ceiling and paneling painted with polychrome grotesques by Jean Cotelle. On the walls, two tapestries by the Gobelins of the Triumph of the Gods series: The Triumph of Mars and The Triumph of Religion, on cartoons by Noel Coypel after Jules Romain. The furniture consists of a carved walnut set: a four-poster bed, two bedside tables, two chests of drawers, a console, a sofa, six armchairs, six chairs, two foot stools, delivered in 1860 by the Fourdinois house. The pedestal table ,the work of the Italian marble worker Pietro Martinori in the center of the room, was offered by Pius IX to the Prince Imperial, his godson, and was presented at the Universal Exhibition of 1867. The circular top is covered with a mosaic of marbles found on Palatine Hill (Rome) . In the center of the composition are the arms of the pope. Under the Second Empire, this room was used as a living room. The carved oak bed and seats date from this period and reflect the Renaissance style, while the carpet, also from the 19C, is in the Louis XVI style. The tapestries of the “Triumphs of the Gods” after Noël Coypel were woven at the Gobelins royal factory around 1700.
The official Château de Fontainebleau on the royal apartments: https://www.chateaudefontainebleau.fr/en/explore-the-castle-and-gardens/fontainebleau-rooms/the-grands-apartments/royal-apartments-fontainebleau/
There you go folks, this is special, a must to visit while in France; the Château de Fontainebleau that is. So much history of France and Europe , and the World is here, as well as loving architecture. For me is sublime and the bedroom of Anne of Austria is awesome !!! Again, hope you enjoy the post as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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