Cour du Cheval Blanc
1996 © Maxim Tabachnik
Cour du Cheval BlancCour du Cheval Blanc
Room of the Duchesse d’ÉtampesGallery of Francis INapoleon’s BedroomCrowned Salamander Emblem of Francis IGolden Gate PavilionRenaissance Courtyard, Château de FontainebleauBallroom, Château de FontainebleauHorseshoe StaircaseTapestry RoomNapoleon's Throne RoomTribune of the MusiciansPorte DoréeAnne of Austria’s BedchamberNapoleon’s Bath ChamberFireplace in Anne of Austria’s BedchamberWith My Mother Irina at FontainebleauView of Palace and GardensAbdication Room

Cour du Cheval Blanc

672
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.