There are two magazines I cannot do without...World of Interiors and Antiquariato.
Antiquariato is an Italian publication I discovered over a decade ago. The February issue has a wonderful article on "Il Castello di Blois" or, the Chateau de Blois .
Andrea Lapi photo
Home to several kings, the chateau is a series of buildings constructed from the 13th to the 17th c.
It has 100 bedrooms ( this one being the King's with Henry IV's "H" in the floor tiles)
V come Viaggiare photo
Wikipedia states it" has 564 rooms and 75 staircases although only 23 were used frequently".
7 kings and 10 queens resided in the chateau.
Joan of Arc came here to have her banner blessed.
The salamander, a symbol of Francois l, is predominant in the chateau.
Wikipedia
The chateau was reduced to being barracks during the French Revolution but in 1840 it was classified a national historical monument and is now a museum. If you want to see more detailed photos of the grounds and interiors of the chateau, click here and here.
20 comments:
wow, thanks for the links and the pictures. have you been there? i feel like i really need to have a monogram or personal symbol, don't you?
Very beautiful!
Just love those monogrammed H floor tiles!
Thank you for posting. X
Becoming a regular here, Theresa! With posts like these, it makes the addiction that much easier!
Lynne- I did not know about it until this article came out...would love to visit in person.
Thank you Theresa for making us aware of this beautiful Chateau. I think that we should all have a few hand painted tiles featuring our monograms. I'll provide the place to learn how to and the kiln.
How wonderful, I did not know about this place or the magazine. I need to move into Chateux de Blois because it appears the place was decorated for me! I have an H monogrammed stenciled floor in my garden shed beat that Henry..... Oh, I think he just did.
Every single one of your posts is so wonderful, Theresa. Your blog is one of my faves. I love monograms and I love learning about new magazines. Antiquariato sounds amazing. Incredible that they would take a creature that we might considerable a questionable design choice (the salamander) and make him such a beautiful part of the home -- maintain the family pride and its history. Something to remember.
Theresa, thanks for introducing me to this great space. Now I'm ready for my bright blue ceiling and a wall of crowned M's!
What would we know w/o good magazines?
The architecture and ornament are wonderful.
What I want to know now is the etiquete.(sic) Are certain stairs only for going up or down? No two royals should ever meet on a stair passage? Is it like driving on a hill where up defers to down? That protocal is the real lost art in all this.. (thank god)
Mark! HAHAHAHA!!! I also want a bright blue ceiling and a wall of crowned "T"s!!
Helen-Well, it does seem made for you, doesn't it? When you move in. can I stay in one of the 100 bedrooms?
Patrick- I am sure you are right about the etiquette of staircase usage...some only for "up" and others for "down" and some for staff, etc. I can't imagine that many staircases!
Thanks Regina! You have a pretty decent blog your self! ;)
Gina- I am inviting ALL of us to show up at your wonderful home for some custom monogram tiles to be made!
Mark! HAHAHAHA!!! I also want a bright blue ceiling and a wall of crowned "T"s!!
Helen-Well, it does seem made for you, doesn't it? When you move in. can I stay in one of the 100 bedrooms?
Patrick- I am sure you are right about the etiquette of staircase usage...some only for "up" and others for "down" and some for staff, etc. I can't imagine that many staircases!
Thanks Regina! You have a pretty decent blog your self! ;)
Gina- I am inviting ALL of us to show up at your wonderful home for some custom monogram tiles to be made!
Phenomenal. Leave it to you to lead me to a magazine I've yet to discover.
My best friend from childhood had the last name deBlois. Wonder if she's tried to lay claim!
Happy Weekend, T -
Catherine
And we are living in an age of progress? Thanks again for your detective work and reporting back to us such lovelies.
So happy to see Blois castle is "international"!!! I restored it for 3 years and I'm delighted to see these beautiful pictures in this magazine!
Sabine! I did not know that you worked on this! I now have a thousand questions about it! The rooms are so lovely, with LOTS of gilding. Thank you for sharing this information.
Also love World of Interiors, but did not know of this Italian beauty. I can certainly see why you love "Antiquariato"--spectacular images to feed the artist in you. As I have said before, I love looking at art through your eyes! While I don't have your talent or education, I can always trust your interpretation to resonate with me.
~jermaine
Just got your FB message, can't wait to see what you do with the new linen smocks. Rachel and I want some, am curious to know why they were not quite as they seemed.
Please ask Sabine the thousands of questions. Such a joyful group of comments and a fab post.
Theresa, this is one the first castles i visited as a child because my parents house is in the Loire valley ! Thank you for this moment of historical beauty and introducing me to this Italian magazine of which i've never heard before...
You always show the best !!
Theresa, you can ask me all the questions you want about it! I have some pictures about my work on Blois castel's mural painting on Facebook. I give you the links:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=100000368618809&aid=44830
and:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=529&id=100000368618809
My mouth is still open, this is just wonderment. Loved it.
Drop over sometime.
yvonne
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