SMALL APARTMENTS

Suites of Empire furniture and daily life of the Emperor in the more intimate setting of the Small Apartments.

THE FRANCOIS 1ST GALLERY

Returning from captivity in Italy, the king had developed a taste for the new artists of the Renaissance. He asked Rosso et Primaticcio to come and create décors measuring up to his desire for a “New Rome”. The result is one of the most beautiful galleries in France, exceptional for its frescos and its wood panelling which form the first décor “à la française”.

THE BALLROOM

Built under François 1st and completed under Henri II by Philibert Delorme, the Ballroom has recently been restored. Originally planned as an open-air loggia, glass windows were rapidly installed to protect it from harsh weather. One can admire the frescos full of movement of Primaticcio and his student Niccolo dell’Abate, as well as the splendid marquetry of the flooring designed under Louis Philippe, reproducing the coffered ceiling richly decorated in silver and gold…

THE TRINITY CHAPEL

Exceptional for its frescos painted under Henri IV by Martin Fréminet, one of Michelangelo’s little-known emulators, the chapel holds the memory of Louis XV’s wedding with Marie Leszczinska in 1725 and of Louis Napoleon’s baptism, future Napoleon III in 1810.

THE QUEEN'S GRAND CABINET AND THE QUEEN'S BOUDOIR

With a charming decor created for Marie-Antoinette, these two rooms mark the height of French taste’s glory in the 18th century, with the subtle alliance of neoclassical woodworks with Riesener’s mother of pearl furniture.

THE COUNCIL ROOM

Exceptional rockwork decor in pink and blue camaieu painted by Carl Van Loo and Jean Baptiste Pierre, with the ceiling by Boucher symbolising the Four Seasons. This room hosted the King’s councils, and later the Emperor’s.

THE THRONE ROOM

Formerly the King’s bedroom from Henri IV to Louis XVI, this room was converted into the Throne room by Napoleon, who furnished it following the directives of the new imperial etiquette. It is the only remaining Throne room in France retaining its original furniture.

NAPOLEON 1ST'S IMPERIAL INNER APARTMENT

Napoleon resided in these private apartments, which have just been refitted following fifteen years of restoration. One can discover the very beautiful bedroom of the Emperor and his display bed, his study where he worked during his nights of insomnia, his bathroom and the drawing-room which became famous since he signed his abdication there in 1814.

THE MUSEUM OF NAPOLEON 1ST

Installed in the Louis XV wing of the Chateau, in the Princes’ ancient apartments, the museum presents objects and memorabilia evoking the life of the Emperor (anointment, military campaigns, birth of the King of Rome) and of his family: Madame Mère (Napoleon’s mother) and the brothers and sisters of the Emperor, Joseph, Louis, Jérôme, Elisa, Pauline and Caroline.

THE CHINESE MUSEUM

The Chinese collections gathered by the Empress Eugenie are exceptional by both their origins and their sheer quantity. In 1863, Napoleon III’s wife had the ground floor of the large pavilion redesigned in order to host her personal collection of objects from the Far East. The restoration undertaken in 1984 has highlighted to its advantage the Napoleon III decor of the rooms, designed as a museum, but also as a Second Empire salon with its red and green harmony…

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