Francophile At Large: Saturday, July 19: Chantilly

Fun language fact: in French, whipped cream is called "Chantilly" (pronounced something like "shawn-tee-yee") because it was supposedly invented, or at least popularized, at the dairy on the Chantilly estate. If you are not into castles, gardens, horses, art, books, or military history, you should go to Chantilly just to have whipped cream at the source. However, if you are like me and you enjoy at least 4 out of those 6 other things, you can skip the whipped cream and have plenty of other stuff to look at instead. Chantilly is the château-turned-museum that was passed down from Anne de Montmorency to Henri II de Montmorency to the Grand Condé (Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé), destroyed in the French Revolution, and ultimately rebuilt and donated to the Institut de France by Henri d'Orléans, duc d'Aumale. The Duke insisted that the artwork remain as he had hung it and not be rearranged within the château, sold, or loaned to other museums. So, for instance, if you want to see Raphael's "Three Graces," you have to come to Chantilly.

The château also features a library of thousands of printed books, several hundred incunabula, and about 300 medieval manuscripts including Les très riches heures of the Duc du Berry (sadly, only a facsimile of the latter work is displayed in order to preserve the condition of the original). Chantilly also features the Great Stables (the Grand Condé thought he would be reincarnated as a horse, and built accordingly), a hamlet (faux-rustic village as at Versailles) and a Le Nôtre-designed garden. In short, Chantilly checks all my boxes. My only regret is that I didn't get to spend more time there: 4 hours including a relaxed café lunch with one of our students. I took a good walk through the château and got lots of pictures inside and out, but did not make it to the hamlet and our tickets did not cover the Great Stables. However, as I've been telling our students, you have to believe that you will come back and hold some things in reserve for the next trip.

So . . . who wants to see some photos? Click through! Actually, get a sandwich and then click through. There are a LOT of pictures.

The château as you walk up to it from the entry gate

It was overcast when we arrived.

Anyone who has been to Versailles will recognize Le Nôtre's work when they see it.

Another view of the garden

This is the side of the château from which visitors enter.

Dog butt!

(Downton Abbey joke, sorry.)

(Not sorry.)

You can tell that the château was used as a hunting lodge.

Arms of the Duc d'Aumale

The Duke's monogram (H O for Henri d'Orléans) is everywhere.

The library is beautiful!

2 volumes of this polyglot Bible were on display.

Frontispiece to one of the Bible volumes

Page from another Bible volumes showing the 4 languages in which it is printed.

Another view of the library

Will Madam require a reading chair? Yes. Yes, she will.

Mourning stationery--a letter written from Twickenham outside London just after the Duke lost his son. "Believe me, my dear Count, your affectionate H. d'Orléans."

Chantilly's "regular" stationery

Selfie-ing in the "Grand Cabinet de Monsieur le Prince." The Grand Condé was styled "Monsieur le Prince" when he became first prince of the blood after his father died.