Over the Christmas break I had the time to go through many of my old photos. While going through photos from last year’s European holiday I came across some that I took at Nepoleon and Josephine’s chateau, Malmaison. Their chateau certainly wasn’t as grand as that of some of the french nobility but there was something about it that seemed real. You could imagine them living in it. Josephine continued to live there until she died in in 1814. Can you believe that Josephine actually had some kangaroos and black swans on the estate? I was really surprised by that! I just can’t get my head around kangaroos hoping around in Paris back hundreds of years ago. Josephine had a real fascination with Australian animals and plants. She also loved roses and had an extensive collection from all over the world. When you learn more about her you find she was quite an extraordinary woman. That’s probably why Nepoleon never really got over her.
While reviewing my photos I came across this image I snapped in their dining room. This a part of the decorative paneling in their dining room, complete with all the dirty marks, dents and scratches which come from a few hundred years of wear and tear There is something about the colour and texture of this that I really like. This is only a small piece of a large panel that went from the floor to ceiling. Looking at this it looks like it has been processed using textures but this is pretty much straight out of my camera. Just a little sharpening and cropping that’s all. If you want to learn more about Josephine and Malmaison this is a good place to go http://www.chateau-malmaison.fr/en/taxonomy/term/74
If you look around the chateau using the virtual tour you will see the dining room and these beautiful panels in their entirety. Just beautiful.
