Les dames de Fontainebleau

Francis I, a hunting enthusiast, very sensitive to feminine charm, a great admirer of the artists he met in the Italian courts at the time of the famous conquests, made his home in the forests of Fontainebleau, where a hunting lodge became the most sumptuous and famous palace in the known world. Around the king, there materialised mythological figures – nymphs, naiads, Graces, Fates, goddesses – and real people circulated –queens, lovers, courtesans – all of whom Italian artists were called upon to immortalise in the frescoes, stuccos, tapestries, sculptures, and fountains. Much remains of the splendid apartments, and much has been lost, but the preparatory drawings, the "sanguigne" and the designs have survived. Along with Rosso Fiorentino, Primaticcio, Nicolò dell'Abate, Cellini, Penni, and Ghisi, there were also painters from beyond Italy. A fascinating, rarefied and symbolic story , told by leading art history specialists and beautifully illustrated.