Wednesday 8 July 2015

Domaine de Chantilly


The Château de Chantilly has been transformed several times over the centuries and been home to many illustrious figures in France's history. Its last resident, the Duke of Aumale, son of King Louis-Philippe, inherited Domaine de Chantilly in 1830. He was the greatest collector of his time turning the château into a stage-set for all his treasures which he bequeathed to the Institut de France in 1886 now known as the Musée Condé

Chantilly holds a magnificent collection of paintings, furnishings, manuscripts, art treasures, and books. One of the great treasures being the illuminated manuscript known as Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry which I showed at the beginning of each month on WFVM through 2013/14
The Château de Chantilly itself is one of the jewels in the crown of France's cultural heritage and well worth the journey from Paris. It is 40 km from the centre of Paris and takes just 25 mins travelling by SNCF-TER from Gare du Nord. Commencing for the first time this year it is now possible to travel to the château by coach departing from PARISCityVision ticket office in rue des Pyramides

The château sits at the confluence of the Rivers Oise and Seine and is a magnificent stone complex designed in 1560 by Jean Bullant, French renaissance architect, for Anne de Montmorency
Equestrian bronze statue of Anne de Montmorency - born 1492 at Chantilly - Honorary Knight of the Garter, he became Marshall and Constable of France
Statuary and paintings of dogs and horses feature prominently around and within the château reminding us that this was once a royal hunting estate
 
The Chapel

Surrounded by a 25 acre manicured water and parterre garden by André Le Nôtre, the landscape architect for Versailles. 
The entrance hall with its magnificent stairway
The library is home to a collection of 19,000 rare and precious books - Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry is priceless and can only be viewed by means of a facsimile
hunting dogs leap around a ceiling frieze

The chandeliers were objects of great beauty, each one appearing to be more exquisite than the last

La Grande Singerie - The Grand Monkey Room
Drawing room walls hand painted with monkeys and Chinese figures, typical of the taste developed in the first third of the C18th during the Regency period

Both inside and out the château sparkles and is overwhelmingly beautiful
This is the merest glimpse of the masterpieces in the collection which includes Corot, Delacroix, Ingres, Poussin, Watteau, Raphaël, Botticelli, Fra Angelico, Filippino Lippi, Van Dyck, Joshua Reynolds and Caravaggio - the list goes on and on - it is the second largest collection in France after the Louvre

45 comments:

  1. The Chateau Chantilly is indeed beautiful, and full of exquisite treasures, Rosemary. I would love to go there if we ever go back to Paris, and it is helpful to know how easily it can be reached from the city. The chandeliers are fabulous, and the art sounds mouth-watering. Love the triptych on the wall, and the catalogue of artists: all the best ones there! The cabinet with the figurines is a real treasure too. Thank you for sharing your visit.

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    1. The collection is second only to the Louvre which will give some indication of the wealth of paintings in the château Patricia - the triptych is Fra Angelico.

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  2. What a shame we cannot view Les Très Riches Heures directly, but I can quite understand why. I remember your posts and enjoyed all of them.
    It's a magnificent place and it looks as though you had it all to yourselves, even better!

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    1. It was very hot so maybe that was why it was quiet, but that is the way I prefer it to be

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  3. I have seen many castles in France but this one I missed, beautiful photo's of the interior and the exterior aswell. Great to see.

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    1. The whole setting and ambience is really lovely

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  4. Very interesting and you show so many beautiful photos. Chantilly is a great place I visited rather a long time with my daughter. We have sweet memories to this visit. Admiring the wonderful paintings suddenly a siren got off. It was twelve o'clock and I thought they would close and lock me up. My daughter was nowhere to be seen, so I shouted : 'Catharinaaa' . Well, she was in another room and called me a cultural barbarian because I made so much noise. At that moment nobody was there, very silent and a bit scary (to me). Afterwards we had a good laugh. The afternoon we spend in this great designed garden by Le Notre, so beautiful.

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    1. That is an interesting memory you share Janneke - France seems to have become more amenable to its visitors lately, keeping better hours, welcoming, and Chantilly now has excellent audio system that you are given

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  5. The castle is really beautiful. The library looks unbelievable, the stair case is brilliant...thanks for showing your lovely photos..

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    1. The whole place is absolutely gorgeous, pristine and beautifully maintained

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  6. I have such difficulty looking at European opulence without thinking of the grinding poverty of those whose work paid for it. At least it belongs to the nation now!

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    1. Quite a lot still remains in the hands of the wealthy Debra, but at least we do have wonderful examples of the architecture and treasures from those periods. I think that we should also remember that it provided lots of work for builders, gardeners, painters, etc.

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  7. That is just amazing. I love the shot on the outside with the dog statue in the foreground. I took a chateau tour from Paris, but somehow missed this one. I will surely put it on my list

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    1. It is very well worth visiting and such a pretty château. It really requires two days as there is a magnificent stable block with horse shows, and a museum dedicated to horses.

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  8. Really wonderful place it seems, and the photos do it justice too. Nice!

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    1. Thank you Blogoratti - it is an extraordinarily beautiful place both inside and out - a feast for the eyes

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  9. What a magnificent place, love moated castles, houses etc.

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    1. When I first saw it I couldn't believe just how beautiful it was sitting there in its own magnificent landscape

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  10. Wow, this is a beautiful place! Thank´s for sharing this place with us...lovely!
    Have a great week, take care...
    Titti

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  11. Hello, Rosemary,

    I always appreciate you eye for composing photographs, and here you've given us a wonderful tour of the Château de Chantilly, and a taste of its splendors. I find it interesting the the duke willed it all to the Institut de France, and I wonder, despite the fact that he outlived his children, whether he might have also had a sense that his style of living was dying along with him.

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    1. Dear Mark - you are right about that style of living dying out and especially so for French aristocrats. The duc d'Aumale was exiled in the Revolution of 1848 but managed to maintain ownership of Chantilly. He lived between England and an estate he owned outside Palermo in Sicily where he grew grapes and became an internationally famous wine maker. In 1886 the French government proclaimed a further law which expelled forever from French territory the heads of former reigning families and provided that henceforth all members of those families should be disqualified from any public position or function and election to any public body. The duc d'Aumale protested vigorously but was nonetheless unsuccessful. However, he willed Chantilly and all his possessions to the Institut de France and because of his generosity the French government withdrew the decree of exile and the duke returned to France in 1889 - he died at his estate in Sicily in 1897

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  12. and what a lovely day you had-----literally picture perfect!

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    1. That is a perfect description of Chantilly Steph

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  13. What a place and what a beautiful photos. I'm happy you took me to the trip with you. . Love all of these.
    Hugs

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    1. The whole place is a wonderful jewel to behold

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  14. A magnificent place! So beautifully captured by you, Rosemary :-)

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  15. Hey Rosemary, such a coincidence you're showing le Château de Chantilly here now. Last weekend we went to France to visit Monet's garden and I would have loved to stop at the Château de Chantilly on the way there but in the end my husband really didn't want to do so which was a shame of course. But thanks to you I got to see it anyway, not in real life but well. But what a strange coincidence this is.
    So pretty and huge and overwhelming! Hope to make a post myself, about Giverny, soon.
    Marian

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    1. I shall look forward to seeing your post on Giverny Marian, it must be 5 years or even more since I was last there. Next time to go to France you must visit Chantilly it is such a beautiful place.

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  16. Dear Rosemary, A beautiful Chateau and beautifully photographed. Until I get to visit Chateau de Chantilly myself your photographs will do very well.

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    1. Next time you visit France Gina, and if you are in the area, I am sure you would love this beautiful château

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  17. Wow! Such monumental architecture. I would go just to see that gorgeous library. Thanks for the tour. Your photos are beautiful.

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    1. I think that the library was probably my favourite room - it had a wonderful exhibition showing some beautiful and very desirable botanical prints from the collection - thank you for your visit Sarah

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  18. Hello Rosemary,
    I went to see your beautiful photos.
    I love your blog is very interesting and full of
    good ideas for traveling.
    Live in Cotswold ?? How wonderful it would be my dream.
    Every year I come to have a go, at least twice a year,
    I can not do without !!
    Thanks for your visit, I was so glad
    Love Susy

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    1. Hello Susy - lovely to hear from you and thank you for your comment. It is strange that you love England and I love Italy we will have to swap places!!!!

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  19. I’m mesmerized by the castle’s beauty and gorgeousness both inside and outside. I’m especially attracted by the library. Thanks for taking us around. I’ve learned about the heat wave in Europe from your last post. Hope people take care not to have heat stroke or dehydration. Stay cool, Rosemary.

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    1. Thank you Yoko - it is hot here, but in some European countries it is even hotter.
      I felt exactly the same way when I first saw Château de Chantilly across its landscape, such a very beautiful place both inside and out. The library is extra special and takes your breath away as you enter.

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  20. Somehow I have missed hearing in the past that should I make it to Chateau de Chantilly on a day that it is open (previously it was closed on Tuesday and we had to just admire it from the parking lot and then I had to get out and at least walk a little for better photos!) I still would only be viewing a facsimilie of the famous Les Trois Riches Heures. The setting is really splendid, and when we were there it was a gorgeous, sunny day as well. We did drive all around the area where we saw the Horse museum and many people were out and about in 'horsey' clothes!

    Thanks for the inside tour, Rosemary!

    Mary in Oregon

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    1. It is a glorious place Mary - hopefully you will have a chance to visit next time you go to France

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  21. What a fantastic place, despite all that beautiful it's the library with all of those books which I find some fantastic. Sarah x

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  22. I sighed my way through your tour of this magnificent estate, each aspect, room, painting more beautiful that the last. The next time I visit Paris, this is on my list.

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    1. It is a wonderful place to visit everything is beautifully maintained - the whole place sparkles.

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