Architecture and decoration

The Cabinet des Livres [Book Room] was installed in 1876 - 1877 in the 16th-century Petit Château by the architect Honoré Daumet who was responsible for remodelling the whole building. It was designed to house the Duc d'Aumale's library and to be a place for both reading and working.

The two-storey metal structure with an upper gallery is typical of library architecture in the second half of the 19th century. The iron shelves are leather-covered. Maps, laid flat in the glass-fronted display cabinets, were used as blinds to protect the books from the light. Access to the gallery is via a staircase behind the door, to the left of the fireplace.

In contrast to the other rooms in the Château, the lay out was purposely designed to be very sober and, above all, functional, the only luxury being the fine materials from which it was constructed and the close attention to detail. The focus is therefore on the books, which are arranged by format, by subject and by the period in which they were bound, and the bindings themselves provide the decoration with their varied colours and gold stamping.

Only the ceiling is decorated with the coats of arms of the comrades-in-arms of Le Grand Condé, whose bust by Coysevox is displayed on the mantelpiece.

A painting by Gabrial Ferrier, displayed on a trestle table, represents the Duc d'Aumale in his library, with Cuvillier Fleury, who assisted him in acquiring books for the collection.


The collection of books

The collection comprises:
• Montmorency and Bourbon Condé manuscripts. These were confiscated during the French Revolution and returned to the last Duke of Bourbon in 1815 who bequeathed them, along with the rest of his estate, to the Duc d'Aumale.

• Manuscript and printed books, acquired between 1850 and 1897 by the Duc d'Aumale, who was not only wealthy but a passionate and erudite bibliophile. This collection is the most important collection of 19th- and 20th-century French books in the country.

The entire collection was donated to the Institut de France by the Duc d'Aumale, along with the whole Chantilly estate.

The Cabinet des Livres contains 30,000 volumes, including 1,500 manuscripts and 11,500 printed books, mainly on the subjects of literature and history.

The manuscripts, the oldest of which dates from the 11th century, include 200 medieval manuscripts, many of which are illuminated. The collection of printed books includes around 700 incunabula (books printed before 1501) and 2500 books printed in the 16th century.

All are priceless and have been sought after by collectors since before the French Revolution due to their great age, rarity, intellectual or historical importance and their aesthetic qualities. They are bound in original or 19th-century bindings that are often of rare quality.

In accordance with the Duc d'Aumale's wish, the works can be consulted by permission of the curator. Researchers may use them from Monday to Friday in a sixteen-seat reading room which is not open to the general public.

The glass-fronted cabinets on the left as you enter the library contain a selection of bindings which are periodically changed and which illustrate the main styles of French bookbinding from the Middle Ages and the 16th century (left-hand cabinet), the 17th century (central cabinet) and the 18th and 19th centuries (right-hand cabinet).
The temporary exhibitions in the central display cabinets enable visitors to learn about various features of the Cabinet des Livres.

One of the most famous and valuable illuminated manuscripts in the world, “Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry” is the collection’s prize possession. For conservation reasons, the version on display is a facsimile. A CD-ROM is available to the public which teaches the history of the document and displays its illuminations in all their glory.

The Cabinet des Livres is included in the free visit to the Château.
Audioguides costing 2 euros will provide some additional information