Seeing Europe with Famous Authors, Volume 3: France and the Netherlands, Part 1
History
Seeing Europe with Famous Authors, Volume 3: France and the Netherlands, Part 1
France -- Description and travel; Netherlands -- Description and travel
To the west of the Cour du Cheval-Blanc, and communicating with it, is
the Cour de la Fontaine, the main front of which is formed by the
Galerie de François I. This faces the great tank, into which Gaston d'
Orleans, at eight years old, caused one of the courtiers to be thrown,
whom he considered to have spoken to him disrespectfully. One side of
the Cour de la Fontaine, that toward the Jardin Anglais, is terminated
by a pavilion of the time of Louis XV.; the other, formerly decorated
with statues is attributed to Serlio. The fountain from which the court
takes its name has been often changed; a poor work by Petitot now
replaces the grand designs of the time of François I. and Henri IV.
Beyond this court we find, on the left, the Porte Dorée, which faces
the Chaussée de Maintenon, between the Etang and Parterre; it was built
under François I., and decorated by Primaticcio with paintings,
restored in 1835. It was by this entrance that Charles V. arrived at
the palace in 1539....
A staircase now leads to the first floor, and we enter the apartments
of Napoleon I., all furnished in the style of the First Empire. The
cabinet de l'Abdication is the place where he resigned his power. His
bedroom (containing the bed of Napoleon I., the cradle of the King of
Rome, and a cabinet of Marie Louise) leads to the Salle du Conseil,
which was the Salon de Famille under Louis Philippe. Its decorations
are by Boucher, and are the best of the period. It was in leaving this
room that the Maréchal de Biron was arrested under Henri IV., in a
cabinet which is now thrown into the adjoining Salle du Trône,
(previously the bedroom of the Bourbon kings), dating from Charles IV.,
but decorated under Louis XIII. A fine portrait by Phillipe de
Champaigne represents Louis XIII. It is accompanied by his device in
allusion to his vehemence in the extermination of heresy.
The adjoining boudoir de Marie Antoinette is a beautiful little room,
painted by Barthelemy. The metal work of the windows is said to have
been wrought by Louis XVI. himself, who had his workshop here, as at
Versailles. The richly decorated Chambre à Coucher de la Reine was
inhabited by Marie de Medici, Marie Thérese, Marie Antoinette, Marie
Louise, and Marie Amelie. The silk hangings were given by the town of
Lyons to Marie Antoinette on her marriage. The Salon de Musique was the
Salon du jeu de la Reine, under Marie Antoinette. The ancient Salon de
Clorinde, or des Dames d' Honneur, is named from its paintings by
Dubois and from the "Gerusalemme Liberata."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account