Cour du Cheval Blanc

This Courtyard of the White Horse (16th–17th cc.) served as Fontainebleau’s main ceremonial space, its name recalling a large equestrian fresco once painted on the surrounding walls. The celebrated Horseshoe Staircase built under Louis XIII once dominated the approach. The courtyard’s broad wings reflect the palace’s evolution from François I’s Renaissance program to later Bourbon grandeur, staging royal entries with controlled theatricality.