Last Updated on September 26, 2026
From 26 September 2026 to 24 January 2027, the Domaine national de Chambord presents an exceptional exhibition devoted to the château’s gastronomic history from the 16th century to the present day. Co-curated by the Domaine national de Chambord and the European Institute for the History and Cultures of Food (IEHCA), it is the institution’s largest exhibition since 2019. Works and documents from Chambord’s collections, as well as those from partner cultural institutions, are displayed alongside the reconstructions to explain the context and course of these feasts. The exhibition recreates spectacular Renaissance and Grand Siècle silverware through 3D modeling and the printing of old drawings, and corrects the image of a deserted Chambord, without inhabitants or activity, a cliché that is far too simplistic.
The feasts of Chambord: a journey through the centuries
Beneath the sculpted vaults of the second floor of the keep, visitors explore four centuries of culinary practices. Four banquet tables are reimagined or reconstructed through the expertise of a scientific committee, loans from French and international institutions, immersive exhibition design, and the contributions of innovative companies.
Visitors are first immersed in a supper that would have taken place in 1539 during the visit of Francis I and Emperor Charles V. Most furnishings and tableware from this period have either disappeared or survive only in drawings. Through an experimental and innovative 3D reconstruction process, this tableware has been recreated and can now be presented to the public. Dishes are displayed with cuts of meat to make the scene more vivid and lifelike. Music and fragrances also play a full role in creating this immersive experience.
The same approach is used to recreate the table for a “dinner” (luncheon) for thirty guests, held in September 1685 during Louis XIV’s final stay at Chambord. The reconstruction of the tableware objects is based on drawings of dishes used at the court of Louis XIV at Versailles, as well as an original table plan annotated by the Prince of Condé, preserved at the National Library of France. In contrast to the Renaissance supper, this meal illustrates the service of starters and soups during a meatless day, with the “service à la française” still governing—and more than ever defining—the order of meals.
The third table on display takes visitors forward in time and into the private world of the stays of Marshal Maurice de Saxe at Chambord (1745–1750). In the 18th century, new practices emerged, such as the consumption of “exotic” products, the specialization of certain spaces (for example, the appearance of the dining room), and the use of new materials and techniques to create tableware objects. The exhibition thus reconstructs the Marshal de Saxe’s “coffee room,” drawing in particular on his post-mortem inventories.
The final table set on display offers visitors an immersion into a sumptuous republican banquet: the famous gala dinner held in honour of the Prince and Princess of Wales on 9 November 1988. The meal highlights local expertise and regional products. The tableware and decorations come from the silverware collection of the Élysée Palace and from the holdings of the Mobilier National. Thanks to a valuable partnership with these two major institutions, the exhibition faithfully recreates the official table for sixteen guests that hosted the British royal couple.
The museum space: Chambord at the center of the table
Centered on the collections of the Domaine national de Chambord, the second part of the exhibition is devoted to a broader exploration of the art of dining at Chambord, through a range of documentary and sensory materials.
Throughout its history, Chambord has inspired several culinary creations highlighting the products and imagination of its local terroir. Among them is the famous Carpe à la Chambord, first published in 1735 by Vincent de La Chapelle in Le Cuisinier moderne. Frequently reinterpreted and then forgotten, this emblematic recipe is experiencing a revival today thanks to the contemporary version by two-Michelin-starred chef Christophe Hay (Fleur de Loire, Blois), featured in the exhibition. In the spirit of a “fine grocery store,” the exhibition route also brings together a selection of products inspired by Chambord or made from the estate’s resources: herbal teas, rum babas, jams, honey, cured meats, vegetable soups, birch water, and even Chambord liqueur.
From the 2000s onwards, several archaeological campaigns carried out in the castle’s cesspits have uncovered a significant set of remains: food waste, fragments of tableware, bottles, and everyday objects discarded by the estate’s inhabitants. These discoveries provide valuable insight into dietary habits, table customs, and daily life at Chambord over the centuries. A multimedia installation complements this approach by allowing visitors to explore former spaces linked to meal preparation: historic kitchens, ovens, sink stones, hot-holding “potagers,” as well as the décor and graffiti preserved in the 17th-century cupbearer’s room.
What was served at the official table of Chambord? The exhibition offers the opportunity to present several menus from notable meals held at Chambord during the 20th century: presidential hunting dinners from 1965 to 1980, a luncheon given in honour of Queen Elizabeth of England in 1979, a lunch served during the meeting of European Ministers of Agriculture in 2016, and others.
The central role of innovation in the exhibition
For the first time in France, an exhibition brings to life objects that have disappeared or remained at the stage of projects or drawings! One hundred and eighty-three pieces of goldsmith’s work (33 pieces for the Renaissance table and 160 pieces for the 17th-century table) have been specially created through a demanding research and development process.
The teams at ARISTEAS, a company specialising in 3D modelling of architecture and heritage, have recreated tableware, serving dishes, and ceremonial pieces based on Renaissance drawings and those from the reign of Louis XIV, as well as a few original objects preserved in museums. They rely on the expertise of a scientific committee, a detailed analysis of iconography, and an experimental method of 3D modelling and printing. The rendering of the objects gives an ultrarealistic appearance to the metallic tones produced, in accordance with the uses and techniques of each period.
The Domaine national de Chambord has partnered with GEDEON Experiences to produce an exceptional 20-minute immersive experience: “The Royal Feast. Chambord, 1539”. Using virtual reality headsets, visitors are invited to take part in the sovereigns’ banquet.
The Domaine national de Chambord
Chambord has inspired admiration and fascination throughout the world for more than 500 years. Listed among France’s very first Monuments historiques in 1840 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981, it is one of the most astonishing Renaissance constructions and the largest walled park in Europe, covering 5,440 hectares (13,442.53 acres). The second most visited château in France, Chambord welcomes over one million visitors every year.
State-owned since 1930, the Domaine national de Chambord is a public industrial and commercial establishment under the supervision of the ministries responsible for Culture, Agriculture and the Environment, and under the high protection of the Président de la République. The establishment incorporated the Grand Parc de Rambouillet by decree of the Conseil d’Etat on June 1st, 2018. The Board of Directors is chaired by Philippe Donnet. Since January 2023, the public establishment has been led by Pierre Dubreuil.
Visitor Information
The Feasts of Chambord
from September 26th, 2026 to January 24th, 2027
Press preview on Thursday, September 24th, 2026.
Domaine national de Chambord
41250 Chambord
Accessible from Paris via the A10 highway or Austerlitz train station
Opening hours :
March 20 to 27: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.;
March 28 to June 21: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Full price €31 (€21 for EEA nationals/residents)/
Reduced price €28.50 (€18.50 for EEA nationals/residents, with valid documentation)
Free admission for visitors under 18 years old and EU citizens under 26.
www.chambord.org
