Photos
Private flats
Private flats
The fables of La Fontaine
The armchairs around the majestic desk come from the Royal Manufactory of Beauvais, founded in 1664 by Colbert. If you look closely, you can see that they illustrate various fables by La Fontaine, including The Fox and the Stork, The Monkey and The Wolf and the Lamb.
The cherubs of Piat Sauvage
The door tops in the grand salon are the work of Piat Sauvage. Piat Sauvage was an 18th-century painter particularly renowned for his trompe-l'œil decorations. Approved by the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1781, he was subsequently appointed first painter to King Louis XVI. He painted the famous Portrait of Marie-Antoinette and the ceiling of the chapel at the Château de Saint-Cloud, and took part in the decoration of Versailles, the Petit Trianon and the Châteaux of Fontainebleau and Rambouillet.
The Versailles prosecution service
This is yet another example of the close links between Hautefort and Versailles. As its name suggests, this style of parquet was first used in Versailles to replace marble floors, which were too fragile. It is made up of different pre-assembled square wooden panels, each made up of diagonally-spaced strips of wood that intertwine like a braid. Here at Hautefort, three types of wood intertwine under your feet: red oak, light oak and walnut.
Le Fragonard
Located above a chest of drawers on the left as you enter the grand salon, this painting was acquired by Baroness de Bastard, who had an eye for the great technical mastery demonstrated by the painter, although he had not yet been identified at the time. It turns out that she was right, as an expert appraisal carried out in 2011 confirmed that it was an authentic Fragonard! Here, the French master of the rococo style delivers a genuine technical feat in all its simplicity: a young shepherd followed by his dog, running after his flock.
The captured portrait
Facing you as you enter the grand salon, the portrait of the sculptor Pajou by his son is one of the works from the David-Weill family collection that was seized by the German army in 1940. It was then exhibited at Neuschwanstein Castle, where works were selected for inclusion in Hitler's museum. The painting still bears the German inventory number on the back of its stretcher.
Discover the other rooms in the château
NOT TO BE MISSED AT HAUTEFORT CASTLE
After crossing the 17th century and the private flats, from the public to the intimate, and descending into the subterraneans to meet the steward of the...
The pyre room
A history of the Revolution The pyre illustrates the impact that the Revolution had on the history of the château, with several prisoners [...].
Gentleman's bedroom
The games table This mahogany secretary could also be used as a games table: the tric-trac, very popular [...].
Madame's bedroom
A secret desk: daytime bliss This type of secretary is traditionally reserved for ladies, with its many drawers and [...].
Private flats
The fables of La Fontaine The armchairs around the majestic desk come from the royal Beauvais factory, founded [...].
Lectern - Salle des cheminées
Four cardinal virtues Destroyed in the fire of 1968, the two chimneys were rebuilt identically by the Compagnons du [...].
Design office
The cannon foundries Initiated by Jacques-François de Hautefort, the project to create foundries to supply cannons to the French [...].
Room
The bedroom in the 17th century Borrowed from the Latin word 'camera' meaning 'room', the bedroom in the 17th century was a room [...].
