Pencil Salamander in the tympanum of the Porte Dorée - Château de Fontainebleau

The salamander is the emblem of François I who built the Château de Fontainebleau. The crown reminds us that it is a royal emblem.
At the time, it was believed that it lived in fire and that it could even extinguish it. It was then represented as a fabulous animal resembling a dragon spitting flames.

The Porte Dorée, the first royal entrance to Fontainebleau. In 1528, Francis 1st launched his first major architectural campaign and with it the work on the Porte Dorée and the Galerie Francis 1st. The architecture and decor built in place of the old medieval castle are to the glory of its sponsor, Francis 1st.
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