Fireplaces
The first fireplaces were introduced in households in the aftermath of Antiquity, out of the necessity to heat up dwellings after antique heating knowledge had been lost. Stone-made –for the richest – they were comprised of a centrally located hearth where the fire would take place and a chimney to vent smoke outside. Louis XII’s bedroom in Ainay-le Vieil castle is a good example of the luxury some fireplaces displayed as early as the Middle-Ages. In the beginning of 16th century, when Renaissance reached France, fireplace became a privileged space for rich architectural decors. Chambord Castle has 850 fireplaces, all of them decorated according to the room they are located in. Painted, as in Ecouen castle, or sculpted as in Fontainebleau castle, Renaissance fireplaces foretell the luxury that decorated them in the 17th and 18th centuries. Fireplace shapes evolved according to succeeding styles, from Rococo to classic 18th century, and from Directoire, Empire, Restauration, neogothic to Napoleon III in the 19th century. In the 20th century heating systems gradually replace fireplaces that become purely decorative items.
