Appartements de Madame de Maintenon, consisting of an antechamber, saloon, boudoir, and toilet-room. They are of no interest further than that it was in one of them, it is said, that Louis XIV. signed the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, which led to such cruelties. The embroidery on the furniture and screen is by the noble pupils of St. Cyr. Adjoining is the Galerie de Henri II. (see [p. 7]).
The Musée Chinois, consisting of a valuable and interesting collection of articles from China, cannot be seen without especial permission.
[THE COURTS.]
From the Cour du Cheval Blanc an arched way, near the Horseshoe staircase, leads through to the Cour de la Fontaine. In the side facing the lake is the Galerie de François I. Having passed through the porch in the N.E. corner of the Cour de la Fontaine, we have before us the gardens and forests of Fontainebleau, and immediately to the left the Porte Dorée, one of the gates that opens into the Cour Ovale. It is generally closed. On the soffit and sides are frescoes on a gold ground by Primaticcio, restored in 1835 by Picot. The subjects are mythological. Charles V. entered by this gateway in 1539. And by this portal the Duchesse d’Etampes fled from Fontainebleau, driven from it by the haughty and jealous Diana. Eastward to the left we pass the apsidal portion of St. Saturnin, supported by narrow buttresses, faced with pillars and pilasters. Both here and on the Porte Dorée is the device of Francis I., a salamander. The principal entrance to the Cour Ovale faces the Cour des Offices.
At the east end of the palace, fronting the Place d’Armes, connected with the Rue Grande by the Rue de la Chancellerie, is the Cour de Henri IV. or Des Offices, 285 ft. long by 255 wide, occupied by the artillery college, formerly at Metz. The course lasts 2 years. The gateway is grand, but heavy; the buildings contain nothing particular.
Fontainebleau: Drives in the Forest.
[Excursions into the forest.] Those wishing to walk should provide themselves with a pocket compass and a copy of the plan of the Forêt de Fontainebleau, 1½ fr. In the forest the posts painted red indicate the way back to the town; the black posts lead in the other direction. The coachmen are acquainted with all the roads. The artistic part of the forest comprises only 3719 acres. The following are the three principal drives, each requiring 6 hours:—
1. Croix du Grand Veneur par la Tillaie—Point de vue du camp de Chailly par la Table du Grand Maitre et le carrefour de Belle Vue—Barbison par le Bas Bréau—Gorges d’Apremont et Franchard.
2. Vallée du Nid de l’Aigle—Mont Ussy—Caverne d’Augas—Vue sur le champ de Courses et Mont Chauvet—Gorges et Rochers de la Solle—Rocher St. Germain—Bocages des Ecouettes—Fort l’Empereur—Calvaire—Roche Eponge et Point de vue de Nemorosa.