Château de Chantilly: Hidden gem in Ile-de-France

Art, Architecture, Chandeliers, Theatre, Books, Parks, Hunting dogs, horses, swans or another world feel. If you like any of the afore mentioned things or all of them, then the Castle of Chantilly will not fail to charm you. Just 1 hour north of Paris, you can visit the last home of France's kindest Duke, Henri D'Aumale. Why? He left his ENTIRE property to the French nation. Including all the 15,000 odd books dating to the medieval times and decades worth of art. And people should be able to consult the books for free :) The Condé Museum inside the Castle holds some of the world's most priceless paintings. It's highly recommended to pay for a guided visit if you want to see the magnificent private apartments of the Duke and Duchess. You can also appreciate the architectural gems for as long as you want, since the castle doesn't attract as many tourists as it's counterparts in Versailles and Vincennes. Put this place on your list of places to see before you die! You will not regret it! :) Promise.

Since the main hobby of Chantilly's occupants was hunting, you can find lots of beautiful statues and paintings of hounds in different places in and around the castle.

Condé Museum

The Condé museum in Chantilly holds some fine masterpieces. It's painting collection is the wealthiest in France after the Louvre. You can look for more details on the masterpieces here.

La Tribune

This art gallery is modeled after the Tribuna at the Uffizi in Florence. When you enter is multi-faceted room, you can discover painting of different genres. There are walls dedicated to the Renaissance, the XVIIth and XVIIIth century neoclassicism and romanticism. On the extreme left of my collage above you'll find Vénus Anadyomène, a painting which belonged to the Duc's older brother and which I really find intriguing. This painting by Ingres shows the birth of Venus and if you want to read more about the structure of the painting, then go here.  

The Chapel dedicated to Saint Louis

Les Grands Appartements:

Details from the Antechamber and Bedroom of Monsieur le Prince. Built c. 1720.

The Action Gallery or The Battle Gallery

The Monkey Room

The Monkey boudoir is definitely one of the most charming in the castle. According to the Castle's sources the boudoir dates back to 1737. It's covered with Christophe Huet murals of Monkeys and Chinese Maggots. The Monkey was apparently a very popular animal in the 18th century. The murals on the walls are extremely complex and it took the artist 15 years to complete his work, which is painted directly onto the woodwork.

Bold and Gold!

The Library:

This is my favorite place in the castle. I would love to be married here. Look at all these books! 

The Book Cabinet 

The Book Cabinet as it is called contains 19000 volumes, 1500 manuscripts and 17,500 prints. The oldest manuscripts dates back to the XIth century. The kind Duc of Aumale has given acces to the public to consult the books in the library and you can do so with permission from the curator. More details on the books here.

The Theatre Library

Another secret gem of Chantilly. You can visit the Theatre Library if you take the private guided visits. This library was built on the location of a private theatre. According to the Castle's website, there are about 27,000 books here and has some of France's oldest and most valuable books.

Les Petits Appartements:

Salon de Guise: Contains all family portraits.

Bedroom of the Duchess of Aumale.

Ceiling

This baby blue bedroom theme just took my breath away. Of all the furniture in the room, I loved the Queen's canopy bed and the blue cradle. I told Monsieur S. if ever I have a child, this is the cradle I want! :) The bedroom is adorned with a very beautiful ceiling by N. Diaz de la Pena. Read here for more details.

Boudoir of the Duchess of Aumale

Purple is so gorgeous! Sigh!

The stunning purple of the Duchess' boudoir and her Grohé Brothers piano are quite lust-worthy. According to the castle's webpage, the boudoir was originally green but after her death, all the furniture and walls were covered in purple because purple is the colour of mourning!

Salon de Condé

This Red themed salon contains portraits of all the princes of Condé. There are 42 framed medallions on the wall, representing all the members of the House Bourbon-Condé. 

Bedroom of the Duc of Aumale with this spectacular desk.

Other beautiful details..

Beneath chandeliers.

Swan lake :) 

The Castle grounds

This was a really memorable day and I would love to go back again to Chantilly. They even have a equestrian show during certain months of the year. I have to mention how friendly and courteous the staff were. Whether it was in the restaurant, the boutique or during the guided visit, they were always very helpful to the tourists. 

We left Chantilly with our hearts filled with love for the Duc of Aumale who left this immense treasure to France. And not to forget our heads, giddy with the sight of gold and other luxuries :)