FROM THE ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: The town of Fontainebleau stands in the middle of a forest of the same name, many of its population being occupied with timber and stone-cutting. It is the Palace Royal, however, which is the great object of attraction here. The first notice of this building is in the 12th century, in the reign of Louis VII. , and the chapel of St. Saturnin, on the ground floor, opening on the Gour Ovale, is said to have been constructed in his reign', but it is to Francis 1. that the glory of the present fabric is ascribed. Here Charles The palace of Fontainebleau had been neglected till Louis Philippe undertook its repair, and he beautified it much. Large sums were expended upon it, until it assumed something like what it was in the splendid period of the past. The apartments of Louis Philippe were those which Napoleon 1. inhabited , and of their general magnificence, some idea may be formed from the accompanying engraving of his saloon. One of the most striking galleries in the chateau is named after Francis 1., adorned in the Renaissance style, and supplying some excellent specimens of Italian art. This sovereign was essentially the friend of art and letters ', and, considering the period in which he lived, and the wars in which he was engaged, has great merit for the efforts he made to enlighten his people. His taste, however, was open to the reproach of licentiousness, which exhibited itself so broadly in the paintings at Fontainebleau, that Anne of Austria, in 1653, when she became regent, was forced to have many of them obliterated. One of the finest halls in the palace, however, is the gallery of Henry II., which has recently undergone renovation. Murray "tells us that the paintings have been renovated with as much care as possible; that the ceiling is gorgeous and elaborate with ornaments, and that the walls are of consistent richness. Everywhere appears the crescent of Diana of Poictiers, and her initial D. linked with the H. of her royal lover. The chimney-piece, glittering with fleur-de-Us, and resplendent with marbles, was the work of the sculptor Rondelet.

Louis XIII. having been born in Fontainebleau, there is a saloon which bears his name, and which is also fitted-up with great splendour: but there is another apartment, now subdivided into other apartments, called the Gallery of the Stags, which, were it shown, would, perhaps, be of more interest to the historical student, from its having been the scene of the unjustifiable murder of Monaldeschini, the Italian chamberlain of Christina of Sweden, in 1600. This gentleman was subjected to a sort of mock trial for having revealed some secrets of Christina, who acted herself as judge on the occasion. The manner of the murder is thus related in the Guide-book:-" She sent for a priest to confess him before she gave orders for his murder, which was perpetrated in the confessor's presence. Monaldeschini seems not to have been free from suspicions of his mistress; for he wore, under his dress, a coat of mail, which turned the first thrusts of the sword of the assassin." Notwithstanding the perpetration of this monstrous crime in one of the king's palaces, the French court took no notice of it beyond a mere kind of displeasure at its atrocity. Christina continued to reside in the palace for a couple of years after it.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Thomas Allom (1804-1872) was born in London, England on 13th March 1804. He was articled to Francis Goodwin, an architect in 1819. He was to become a founder member of the R.I.B.A. (Royal Institute of British Architects - which is still the premier institution today). He is best know for his topographical drawings, so many of which were engraved on steel & appeared in many of the travel books of the time. He travelled extensively, not just in the UK & Europe, but further afield, covering such countries as Turkey & China. Collections of his work can be found in the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum.