This is awesome, another reason to visit my belle France, in all its splendeurs! A must to visit indeed. Another wonderful memory of my dear late wife Martine, and I traveling in her native department the beauty is amazing. We came here the second year after marriage in 1992 and have been coming here regularly in our visits from the USA, and ,then, while living in France. This is a wonderful story and a beautiful castle still in private hands ! Do see my other posts on the castle in my blog, as this will be short and sassy with new pictures ,even if some repeated text.This is all from our latest visit this week. A reminder, the Château Vaux le Vicomte is in the village of Maincy, Seine et Marne dept 77 of the Île de France region, of my belle France. Hope you enjoy again the sublime Château Vaux le Vicomte and the Fouquet’s as I.
On the 1st floor (2nd fl), you have the bedroom in Fouquet’s apartment is the only room on the first floor to have retained its original decor. The ceilings of the room and the alcove are decorated with a dome-shaped trompe-l’oeil. Madame Fouquet’s apartment was entirely made up of mirrors and included an antechamber, a bedroom and a study. The chamber and the antechamber were completely remodeled in the 18C. The cabinet contains an oval ceiling with a painting representing the sky; Madame Fouquet’s coat of arms appears in the corners.
The west and east wings are the small apartments that lived Nicolas Fouquet and Madame Fouquet, which later in the 18C became the guest rooms of Villars and Choiseuil-Praslin. On the grand hallway you see illustrations of the life of Fouquet and the castle Vaux le Vicomte, A general view of Rome reminds of the importance of Rome in the 17C on the artists, You arrive at the Salon d’Hercule, the antichamber of Fouquet’s apartment, is decorated with a ceiling painted with a scene representing a Hercules welcomed by Olympus. The medallions and panels adorning the arch represent the twelve labors of Hercules by Le Brun. Here he received his guest and several portraits such as my favorite David and Bathsheba by Paolo Veronese, At the center of the antichamber you see the big desk aka Mazarin with wood and filet of golden copper, a poem songe d’Adonis (dream of) by Jean de La Fontaine, and above the desk a portrait by Antonio Moro, Nain du Cardinal de Granvelle,(Dwarf of).
We go on to the bedroom of Fouquet, The decoration has been respected since built by Fouquet and others so intact ! The ceiling is done by Le Brun, The principal part is Apolo shown the light of the world and at each corner a medallion with a goddess Olimpia, Jupiter, Juno, Neptune and Cybele, the central oval shown four scenes mythologics such as Diana and Actaeon,Diana and Calypso, Apollo and Marsyas, and Apollo and the Serpent Python, The walls have tapestries of Mois Lucas these were destroyed to use their gold but some copies survived and were redone by 1715, those shown now were done at the Gobelins factory on orders of the Count of Toulouse son of Louis XIV, On top of the chimney you see a portrait by Charles le Brun, « L’Amour fixé or La Beauté coupant les ailes de l’Amour pour qu’il demeure toujours auprés d’elle « or Love fixed or Beauty clipping the wings of Love so that he may always remain with her , with traits of Marie Madeleine of Castille that Nicolas Fouquet had second married in 1651,
Now the Cabinet of Mme Fouquet by the valet room a door takes you to the cabinet of Madame Fouquet, They were decorated with glass portraits but nothing is left today, On top of the chimney you see a portrait of Nicolas Fouquet done by Charles le Brun during the construction of the castle,There is a nice cabinet in lacquer of Japan closed at the time diamonds, jewerly and gold coins were kept.
The official Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte: https://vaux-le-vicomte.com/en/
The town of Maincy on its heritage/castle: https://www.maincy.fr/patrimoine/
The Seine et Marne dept 77 tourist office on the castle: https://www.seineetmarnevivreengrand.fr/explorer/676128/
There you go folks, another dandy road warrior trip this time only with my 3 young men and dog Rex , less but nevertheless, a wonderfully trip down memory lane in Seine et Marne, dept 77. The Château Vaux le Vicomte have written plenty on it in my blog but , never enough on this marvel of our belle France ; of course I am friend of the castle since 2004 and have come more times that I write about it as many in our official visits pictures are not allowed, You must come here to the Château de Vaux le Vicomte and enjoy the wonders of my Seine et Marne, The apartment, bedroom cabinet of Mr and Mrs Fouquet are wonderful and tell the story of their rise and fall; just gorgeous and merit philosophical time on them forever,,,Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Château Vaux Le Vicomte ,and the Fouquet’s as I
And remember, happy travels, good health,and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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