In the pre-hunt festivities, scat from a pre-selected stag would be presented on platters lined with leaves to demonstrate the worthiness of the quarry and give the dogs a sample of the scent.
Lavish banquets thrown by King Francis both preceded and followed the hunting forays that were the center of life at Fontainebleau.
To ensure a ready supply when he was resident at Fontainebleau, King Francis ordered a vineyard of Malbec grapes planted on the castle grounds. His favorite was the dark purplish Malbec, the black wine of Cahors so prized by royalty on both sides of the Channel and first featured at the wedding banquet of England’s King Henry II to Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152. King Francis’ enthusiasm for Italy did not encompass wine, where his tastes were decidedly homegrown. He even convinced the aging Leonardo da Vinci to trek across the Alps (with his beloved Mona Lisa in tow), to reside in a house connected to the royal castle at Amboise by a secret tunnel used by the monarch to visit the legendary artist, whom he referred to affectionately as mon père or "my father." Drawn to the Renaissance art of Italy experienced firsthand on his military campaigns and when captured during the Battle of Pavia, King Francis gathered around him some of the finest artists and craftsmen the Apennine Peninsula had ever produced. Copied in books of etchings, prints, and engravings that circulated throughout Europe for centuries, these works established the School of Fontainebleau and themes embodied in furniture, ceramics, tapestries, and architecture well into the 19th century.Īs kings go, Francis I was a fascinating character combining monarch and warrior as he sought to protect France from encirclement by the expanding Habsburg Empire after his arch rival, King Charles V of Spain, was elected Holy Roman Emperor.
Every inch of walls and ceiling was decorated, including magnificent wood paneling bearing in gold the letter “F” for Francis along with his royal emblem, the salamander, so there was no doubt in visitors’ minds as to the power and erudition of this king. Rosso also designed the elaborate stucco figures surrounding the paintings and containing elements of ancient architecture, mythological creatures, decorative motifs such as bunches of flowers and grotesque masks, highlighted by gleaming gold leaf and mosaic tiles. The diminutive fresco, below a larger one depicting Venus, was part of the transformation of a long narrow room, more like a wide corridor with windows, into an opulent gallery designed by Rosso to house over a dozen of his paintings glorifying Roman mythology and history, including a depiction of King Francis as Caesar.
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