Sunday 14 May 2023

Photo Session in the Loire Valley

In the Chateau Royal d'Amboise the king's room is on the second floor of the royal apartments. In addition to the famous painting by François-Guillaume Ménageot "The death of Leonardo da Vinci" (1781), there is also a four-poster bed. 

Canopied bed in the King's room, Chateau Royal d'Amboise, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Mark Playle, from Photograph France [link], doing a photoshoot with one of our clients in the King's Chamber in the Chateau Royal d'Amboise.

If you come in the low season (2 January to Easter) we can arrange to have a special photo session in the Chateau Royal d'Amboise, with a professional local photographer and access to the heart of the historic displays, behind the barriers in the rooms open to the public. This is a unique opportunity only offered to our clients. Email us to book this experience.


Canopied beds appeared at the end of the 15th century. Whilst obviously being a way of displaying gorgeous textiles and carved wood, they also have a utilitarian dimension. The curtains allow occupants to keep the heat inside the bed, despite the chill of the castle interiors. The curtains also ensured a relative intimacy and privacy to the bed's occupants. At the time, everyone, even the King, shared their room with several other people.