Behind the scenes: Château de Chantilly in Northern France

Here are the little elegant monkeys, dressed in very chic 18th-century aristocratic style. Their occupations are inhumane. Playing cards, sledding, or being pampered by two maids. This masterpiece of decorative painting, attributed to the artist Christophe Huet, is located at Chantilly Castle. In the early 18th century, its owner, the Prince of Condé, decided to redo the decoration of his apartments to make them look modern. At the time, fashion was exotism. We turn to all these areas, which we then group under the word Orient. It's an Orient fantasized by the Europeans, which has little to do with the real cultures of the Middle East and Asia, but which serves as a source of inspiration for decorative motifs. And within this passion that the 18th century has for exotism, a type of decor will be born with great success. The monkey shop. Indeed, for art lovers of the time, this fascination for the outsider is found in the monkey motif. And it's not new, because since the Middle Ages, the monkey has been a popular subject for artists. Because it allows you to embody the otherness while being familiar enough for the viewer to identify with. Also, painters depict them in clothes or in human activities to create a funny contrast and make fun of themselves and their customers. And that's exactly what we can admire in the little monkey shop in Chantilly, which dates back to 1735. The monkeys parodied the activities of the ladies of the Condé family. Here, a halt during a hunting game to eat a piece of meat. There, a guenon having his claws cut off by his servant. Another taking off his slippers to take a bath. And another climbing a ladder to pick fruit. Occupations that give an idea of the daily life of this aristocratic family and the way they lived in Chantilly Castle over the years. This room was a boudoir, a small private living room. This explains the freedom and self-derision that the paintings show. This humourous setting must have pleased the family. Two years later, they ordered the same artist to decorate a second room, the big monkey shop. This time, it's a room for apparels, with visitors from outside the family. Also, even though the setting is still full of fantasy, the themes depicted are a bit more classic for the time. In a sumptuous setting of white and golden woodwork, the panels evoke, for example, the five senses. Musician monkeys for Louis, another one with incense for Lodora, or holding a jibia leg to remind him to touch it. There are also different arts and disciplines represented. We can see monkeys doing sculpture, painting, geography. The decorator, probably Christophe Huet, took the opportunity to slide what looks like a self-portrait. A small display with a monkey painting on the wall motifs very similar to those of the monkey shop. Here again, the monkeys imitate the occupations of an aristocratic family of the 18th century, notably the favourite activity of the Counts, hunting. On the ceiling, we can see that they wear the costume that the family and their guests wore during the hunting, with colours with the pretty names of the cattle, such as Ventre de Biche and Amarante. Finally, one of the characters, the alchemist, surrounded by ceramic paint, is probably a portrait of the Count. He was involved in the creation of a soft porcelain manufacture in Chantilly, whose decorative motifs were inspired by the Far East. In addition, the alchemist looks at a jar with animals, which reminds us of the natural history office that the Prince owned. If we add the soldier monkey, evoking his passion for war, here is a setting intended to show visitors the personality of the master of the place. Indeed, the great Chantilly monkey shop is thought of as an immersive setting, which covers the room from the floor to the ceiling, through the walls, the doors and even the shutters. The monkey shop gave visitors the impression of diving into a distant, exotic and refined world. A setting that was all the more coherent, as this piece probably housed the Asian objects collection of the Prince of Chantilly. Even if the taste and fashion changed a lot later on, the next owners had to be attached to the two monkey shops, as these pieces were never redecorated and fortunately survived to this day. It's a rarity. Today, there are only four monkey shops in France, two of which can be found in the Château de Chantilly.