Cheverny : Interior, Interrupted

We made it into the château ahead of the group. The tour is self-guided with a handy brochure that describes each room and its significance. We started in the formal dining room.

The mantel above the fireplace in the main dining room.
The gilded frames surround a bust of king Henri IV.

As we began to get our bearings and learn about the various pieces of furniture, tapestries, and paintings, the tour group entered. We quickly decided to go upstairs to escape. The first room we saw upstairs was the arms room. It's directly above the dining room and is the largest room in the château.

The fireplace in the dining room with its andirons.

The walls of the arms room are adorned with a collection of weapons from the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries, and not a few suits of armor. As we were busy snapping photos a docent came up to us to tell us that taking pictures was not allowed inside the château. So these few photos are all I have from inside; maybe that's a good thing.

Detail on a door between rooms.
I could almost see through the keyhole.

We went on, of course, to view the private apartments, the king's bedroom, the family dining room, the library, the tapestry room, and the large and small drawing rooms. Each is furnished with a collection of period pieces in various styles, and there is a sprinkling of paintings and photographs of the owners from the beginning to the present day.

A suit of armor in the arms room.
After this we were told not to take pictures.

The rooms are interesting and, in my opinion, there's just the right amount. It's not overwhelming at all. However (and it's a big however), I can imagine that at the height of tourist season (summer), there would be just too many people crowded inside making the interior tour a very unpleasant experience.

We exited the château at the rear door and headed for a walk around the gardens until five pm, when the feeding of the hunting hounds was scheduled to take place. We were anxious to see that.