Built on an island surrounded by marshland, the Château de Chantilly was constructed around 1560 by Jean Bullant for the High Constable Anne de Montmorency. Chantilly’s renowned apartments of the Condé princes include the Galeries des Actions de Monsieur le Prince, a particularly important decorative ensemble of paintings and interior finishes from the period. Twelve paintings from the late-seventeenth century commemorating the Great Condé Victories, painted by Sauveur Le Conte are the highlights of this grand hall. Constructed in 1721, the Louis XV-era Grandes Écuries is a colossal stable with impressive architectural details and interiors. Commissioned in 1737, the Grande Singerie, or “monkey room,” is adorned with whimsical paintings of costumed monkeys imitating humans, painted by Christophe Huet (1700-1759), a student of Claude Gillot. The Château de Chantilly is a grand estate for which no expense was spared in presenting the best artists of the day and creating an atmosphere that remains magical nearly three centuries after its conception.
Château de Chantilly, view, 2001
Grandes Écuries archway, 2001
Grande Singerie façade from distance, 2008
Grandes Écuries façade, 2002
Conservators at work in Grande Singerie, 2008
Grande Singerie detail before conservation, 2008
Grande Singerie detail post-conservation, 2008
Grande Singerie detail before conservation, 2008
Grande Singerie detail post-conservation, 2008
Galerie des Actions de Monsieur le Prince, 2006
Grandes Écuries from above, 2001
