Fontainebleau

Fontainebleau (fôNtĕnblō`), town (1990 pop. 18,037), Seine-et-Marne dept., N France, SE of Paris. It is a favorite spring and autumn resort and was long a royal residence, chiefly because of the excellent hunting in the vast Forest of Fontainebleau. Louis IV resided in Fontainebleau, and Philip IV and Louis XIII were born there. Francis I built the magnificent palace, the chief glory of French Renaissance architecture and the scene of many historic events. Francesco Primaticcio and Sebastiano Serlio, the principal artists of the palace, came to be known, along with their fellow artisans, as the first school of Fontainebleau. In the palace Louis XIV signed (1685) the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Pope Pius VII was imprisoned (1812–14), and Napoleon signed his first abdication (1814). Fontainebleau also has a military museum. The town was headquarters of the military branch of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) from 1945 to 1965.

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Fontainebleau

Château in northern France, southeast of the town of Fontainebleau. One of the largest structures built by the kings of France, it was originally a medieval hunting lodge, but was rebuilt (from 1528) under Francis I. Its numerous renovations show the transition from early Renaissance to Mannerist (Late Renaissance) styles. The château is a succession of five courts of different shapes. Of particular interest is the Gallery of Francis I (c. 1533–45), a long, narrow room decorated with stucco relief sculpture and painting by Rosso Fiorentino.

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Fontainebleau

a town in N France, in the Forest of Fontainebleau: famous for its palace (now a museum), one of the largest royal residences in France, built largely by Francis I (16th century). Pop.: 15 942 (1999)

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Fontainebleau 

a city in France, south of Paris, in the department of Seine-et-Marne. Population, 19,600 (1975). Industries include machine building and the production of porcelain.

Fontainebleau was the oldest country residence of the French kings. The most important part of the complex is the palace, built during the reign of Francis I (begun 1527; architects, G. Le Breton and P. Chambiges). In the 1530’s and 1540’s, ornamental work was done on the palace, including the gallery of Francis I and Henry II. The Italian masters F. Primaticcio and G. B. Rosso, the founders of the first Fontainebleau school, were involved in the decorative work; they developed decorative motifs that became hallmarks of French mannerism and combined them with an abundance of carved panels, ornamental friezes, and sculpted and painted decorations. The construction and alteration of the interiors continued during the reign of Henry II (who employed the architect P. Delorme) and Henry IV and was carried on right up to the Napoleonic period. Fontainebleau was the site of Napoleon’s abdication in 1814. Today it is a national museum. The palace park and the forests surrounding Fontainebleau are popular recreation areas for Parisians.

REFERENCES

Pichard du Page, R. Fontainebleau. Paris, 1955.
Toesca, M. Les Grandes heures de Fontainebleau. Paris [1957].