The Salle de Bal of the Château de Fontainebleau, part II !!!

Posted in Europe, France, Paris

I am back to one of my all time favorite places in my belle France and not just the castle but the town too. As said in many posts not to repeat myself ,the Château de Fontainebleau is very special to me. As written many posts on it and the town, let me give some of the spots not mentioned enough me think , in the past. Therefore, let me tell you on the Salle de Bal of the Château de Fontainebleau, part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Salle de Bal or Ballroom in the Château de Fontainebleau is distinguished by the opulence of its decor. During its design in the 16C, Philippe Delorme designed the monumental fireplace, which features the intertwined figures of Henry II and Catherine de Medici, along with fleurs-de-lis, the emblems of the Order of Saint Michael, and traditional hunting weapons: bows, arrows, and quivers. Two bronze atlantes, cast from casts of antiques preserved in the Capitoline Museum and painted and gilded in 1556 by Guillaume Rondel, frame the work. The originals were cast during the French revolution; Percier and Fontaine replaced them with plaster columns in 1805.

In 1966, new copies made in Rome were unveiled at Fontainebleau. In charge of the woodwork covered with the numbers and emblems of Henry II, H and crescent moons, Francesco Scibec of Carpi executed coffered ceilings, inlaid parquet floors, oak paneling with fluted pilasters and a gallery. He was inspired by the Basilica of Constantine in Rome to create the coffered ceilings highlighted with gold and silver. The parquet marquetry takes up its designs. Francesco Primaticcio, known as Le Primatice, who at the same time created the decorations of the royal apartments, proposed the preparatory drawings in 1552. They were executed in 1509 or 1512 – 1571, according to the fresco technique. Known since Antiquity and brought up to date by the artists of the Italian Renaissance, it consists of the application of colors diluted with water on a fresh plaster. The free friezes develop up to the window frames. They depict mythological scenes, associated with themes such as hunts, festivities, and dances.

A prominent venue of the Valois court, the Salle de Bal or ballroom continued to be used for receptions until the reign of Louis XIII. A ceremony was notably held there during which Cardinal Richelieu was made a Commander of the Order of the Holy Spirit. As early as 1642, the dilapidated decor was a cause for concern, and a restoration project was suspended following the administrator’s disgrace. During the 17C, the space was given over to the guards of the Cent-Suisses, an infantry company composed of Swiss mercenaries in the service of the King of France, active from 1471 to 1792 and from 1814 to 1830. A major restoration was initiated under Louis-Philippe. The painter Jean Alaux worked on the frescoes from 1834. He repainted all of the frescoes using the “Vivet” process of encaustic painting, a technique that is now being questioned. The sculptor Lambert-Théophile Lefébure and the carpenter Poncet restored the woodwork, ceilings, and gallery. Ten gilt bronze chandeliers with 36 lights and 6 lamps, and 12 arms with 18 candles and 3 lamps were made in the Soyer et Ingé foundry. They were installed in the ballroom of the Château de Fontainebleau for the wedding of the Duke of Orléans and the Princess of Mecklenburg, which took place on May 30, 1837. New restorations were carried out in 1858, 1865, and 1883-85. Between 1963 and 1966, a de-restoration of Jean Alaux’s work corrected the 19C work. The grandstand bay was reopened.

The official Château de Fontainebleau on the renaissance salons such as Bal et François 1er : https://www.chateaudefontainebleau.fr/les-grands-appartements-des-souverains/les-salles-renaissance/

The city of Fontainebleau and its castle:  https://www.fontainebleau.fr/bouger-et-sortir/decouvrir-fontainebleau/la-vraie-demeure-des-rois-la-maison-des-siecles-524.html

The Fontainebleau tourist office on its castle: https://www.fontainebleau-tourisme.com/en/discover-the-region/patrimoine-2/the-chateau-a-grand-history-book-of-france/

The Seine et Marne dept 77 tourist office on the castle: https://www.tourisme-seine-et-marne.fr/visiter-decouvrir/incontournables/670011-chateau-fontainebleau/

The Île de France regional tourist office on Fontainebleau castle : https://www.visitparisregion.com/en/chateau-de-fontainebleau

There you go folks, a splendid room to be see always at the Château de Fontainebleau and a memorable moment for me all the time , whether visiting it or watching it or reading about it. This is Fontainebleau ! Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Salle de Bal of the Château de Fontainebleau, part II !!!  as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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