Horseshoe StaircaseJean Androuet du Cerceau

This staircase (1634) in the Cour du Cheval Blanc embodies French Baroque grandeur with its dramatic double flight. Built as both passage and stage, it framed royal appearances and departures, later immortalized by Napoleon’s farewell to the Imperial Guard in 1814. More than an entryway, it symbolizes Fontainebleau’s role as theater of power.