Passages to Fantasy: The Performance of Motion in Cellini's Fontainebleau Portal and the Galerie François I

Cellini's Fontainebleau Portal design, commissioned by King Francis I in the 1540s, reveals a duality in motion and space. The bronze portal, depicting the 'Nymph of Fontainebleau' in a forest setting, contrasts the dynamic motions of hunting rituals in the exterior with the more structured, choreographed movements of diplomatic tours within the palace. This design underscores the complementarity between interior and exterior spaces as zones of visual and somatic pleasure, reviving the mythological foundation of Fontainebleau as a bountiful hunting ground and water source. Although the portal was never completed, its conceptualization offers insight into the spatial and performative dimensions of Renaissance architecture and royal symbolism.

Bensoussan, N. (2025). Passages to Fantasy: The Performance of Motion in Cellini’s Fontainebleau Portal and the Galerie François I. Early Modern Spaces in Motion, 59–80. https://doi.org/10.5117/9789463725811_ch02