Masterworks of the Loire September 26 October 2, 2010

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1 Masterworks of the Loire September 26 October 2, 2010

2 troô Connoisseur Arts is dedicated to providing exceptional international programs with engaging art experts that combine special access to private collections and historic properties, intimate group size, distinctive accommodations, and fine cuisine and wine, all designed to enhance the cultural experience serrant angers tours valmer blois beauregard cheverny le choiseul Masterworks of the Loire offers rare private visits to extraordinary châteaux of the region brimming with rich history and exquisite architecture and interiors. Many will be hosted by descendants of original aristocratic owners and some will include special wine tastings from local productions. Program resource Charles Garnett, resident of Trôo near Vendôme, has opened many special doors for us in the region. Our luxury hotel, Le Choiseul, originally a collection of 18th century residences, has a superb kitchen for fine dining after our daily excursions brissac la Loire langeais villandry le clos lucé chenonceau le Cher The program is especially well suited for couples, as well as individuals, and I encourage you to enroll early to take advantage of the special enrollment discount available through March montpoupon valençay bouges Immerse yourself in the fascinating history and masterworks of the Loire while savoring the beauty of the land, the delicious cuisine of the table, and the superb wine of the local vines. This program offers a dazzling picture book of insights and experiences, with memories to enjoy for years to come! l Ind re Gayle Tilles, Director, la Vie n ne

3 Sunday, September Pagode de Chanteloup, a Chinese pagoda of the 18th century offering spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. Built by the wealthy Duc de Choiseul, minister to King Louis XV, as part of a Versailles-inspired palace, only the 144 foot tall Pagoda remains, an extravagant garden folly standing alone, its château and grand gardens now gone. The present owner, M. Thierry André, will provide the fascinating history of this unique venue. We will check into le Choiseul in Amboise, a collection of private residences built in the 18th century beautifully restored into a lovely hotel, our home for six nights, and enjoy an early dinner in the Hotel s fine restaurant offering the area s celebrated cuisine. Monday September 27 Tours: we will enjoy a curated visit to the Musée des Beaux-Arts with the museum director. The museum is housed in the old Archbishop s palace built in the 17th & 18th centuries, with rooms decorated in Louis XVI panelling and silks made in Tours. We will also take in the magnificent Cathedral of Tours, begun in the 12th century with flamboyant gothic architecture of the 15th century. Château de Chenonceau, a mixture of late Gothic and early Renaissance architecture, with a fascinating history featuring Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici. Apart from the palace of Versailles, Château de Chenonceau is the most visited château in France today. Cocktails at Château de Rochambeau, hosted by the family of the famous Comte de Rochambeau and Maréchal de France, followed by a private dinner at Le Marchais in Trôo, country home of hosts Sylvain Lévy-Alban and Charles Garnett, who have added beautiful gardens to this historic 12th century abbey. Formerly Abbaye de Notre Dame des Marchais, it was a favorite venue of Richard the Lionhearted and is set within a lovely medieval village.

4 Tuesday September 28 Private visit to Château de Cheverny hosted by the Marquis de Vibraye, including the exquisite private chapel. Renowned for its magnificent interiors and collection of fine furniture, tapestries, and objets d art, Cheverny has remained in the Hurault de Vibraye family since its construction in the early 1600 s and is perfectly preserved with its original ceiling and wall murals, rare carpets, and paintings. Château de Beauregard and its exquisite park, following lunch in the Orangerie, courtesy of the family, will include such highlights as the Cabinet des Grelots (office of the original owner), frescoes on the fireplace of the royal chamber, and a grand fireplace in Italian style in the great gallery. The exceptional portrait gallery of 327 distinguished individuals installed there brings the rich history of France to life. Château du Clos Lucé, a manor house that was home to Leonardo da Vinci during the last three years of his life, where he died in Brought to Le Clos Lucé from Italy by Francis I, da Vinci carried with him on mule back across the Alps three of his most remarkable paintings, the Mona Lisa, St. Anne, and St. John the Baptist, which he completed at Le Clos Lucé. Dinner at Hôtel Le Choiseul s fine restaurant. Talleyrand by Gérard at Château de Valençay Château de Cheverny Wednesday, September 29 Château de Valençay (on the cover), built in 1540 with a new wing added in the late 18th century, was purchased in 1803 by Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, minister to Napoleon I. Ferdinand VII of Spain spent six pleasant years here in Napoleonic gilded captivity. During WWII, treasures from the Louvre, including the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo, were safely sheltered in the château. Château de Bouges, a little known treasure built in 1759, is an elegant neoclassical building bearing a stunning resemblance to the Petit Trianon in Versailles, possibly built by the same architect, Ange-Jacques Gabriel. Beautiful formal gardens surround it. Private visit to Château de Montpoupon and its unique museum of hunting, personally hosted by owner Comte Amaury de Louvencourt and followed by dinner at the château s charming restaurant.

5 Thursday September 30 Château de Valmer, surrounded by a 17th century park, splendid architecture, and richly ornamental Renaissance gardens. Its famous Kitchen Garden preserves rare historic varieties of plants, flowers, fruits, and vegetables. We will also enjoy a tasting of its delicious Vouvray wine with the owners, Comte and Comtesse de Saint Venant. The magnificent gardens of Château de Villandry are considered by many to be the most beautiful gardens anywhere. Laid out in formal patterns created with low box hedges, they include a water garden, ornamental flower gardens, and vegetable gardens. Medieval Château de Langeais near Lyunes. Originally built as a fortress in the 10th century and nearly totally destroyed during the Hundred Years War, the château was rebuilt about Located on a cliff overlooking the Loire River, the château appears dark and ominous, but the interior rooms are richly decorated in contrast. Dinner at nearby Domaine de Beauvois where chef Régis Guilpain will prepare a sophisticated cuisine paying tribute to regional and seasonal specialities. Friday, October 1st Château de Serrant, one of the most spectacular châteaux of the Loire region, superbly furnished, built from 1546 onward with wings added during the baroque period. We will be able to view the private apartments as guests of the Prince and Princess de Mérode Westerloo. Château de Brissac, where we will be hosted by the Marquis de Cossé-Brissac, son and heir of the 13th Duc de Brissac, who will also provide a special wine presentation and tasting during lunch. We will celebrate our journey with a beautiful farewell dinner at Le Choiseul.

6 The Loire Valley, known as the Garden of France, showcases a rich architectural heritage in its historic towns and worldfamous castles, which illustrate, to an exceptional degree, the ideals of the Renaissance and the Age of the Enlightenment on western European thought and design. The châteaux, numbering more than three hundred, represent a nation of builders starting with necessary castle fortifications in the 10th century and progressing to the splendor of those built half a millennium later. When the French kings began constructing their enormous châteaux here, the nobility, not wanting to be far from the seat of power, followed suit. Their presence in the lush, fertile valley began attracting the very best landscape designers. By the middle of the 16th century, King François Ier had shifted the center of power in France from the Loire back to the ancient capital of Paris. But the Loire Valley continued to be the place where most of the French royalty preferred to spend the bulk of their time. The ascension of King Louis XIV in the middle of the 17th century made Paris the permanent site for great royal châteaux when he built the Palace of Versailles. Nonetheless, those who gained the king s favor and the wealthy bourgeoisie continued to renovate existing châteaux or build lavish new ones as their summer residences in the Loire. Valençay Le Choiseul Château de Villandry Today, these privately owned châteaux serve as homes, some open their doors for public visits, while others are operated as hotels. Many are operated by local or national authorities. Each provides a fascinating step back into history and a rich tapestry of magnificent interiors, gardens, architecture and artistry. Cheverny

7 PROGRAM RESOURCES Charles Garnettt Charles serves as an art consultant and art advisor to private collectors and dealers and an interior designer for special projects worldwide, especially Asia, representing a number of US and European high-end design firms. He undertook his apprenticeship training at Spinks and Sons Ltd. and Christie s South Kensington (Furniture Department) and then spent four years at Partridge Fine Arts, London, where he was also responsible for compiling their annual catalogues and organizing their exhibitions. Charles is an advisor in the field of antique furniture and a program organizer for the Furniture History Society, a Victoria and Albert Museum affiliate that presents seminars, symposia, and travel programs for its membership of museum curators, scholars, and dealers worldwide. He organized the FHS visit to the Loire/Cher (May 2008) and served as one of the official reporters for the FHS trip in Denmark (April 2009) and Naples (September 2009). Charles resides in Paris, the Loire et Cher, and Hong Kong. He and Sylvain Lévy-Alban, owner of an elegant antiques shop in the 7th Arrondissement in Paris, will be hosting our welcoming dinner in their historic Loire home, Trôo. Gayle Tilles Gayle has devoted the past 20 years to the arts and international cultural programming in collaboration with art experts worldwide. She has organized numerous annual symposia and lectures in Chicago, as well as highly successful travel programs within France, Germany, the Netherlands and Russia. Gayle is founding program director of the annual French Decorative Arts Symposium of Alliance Française de Chicago, one of its most successful cultural programs which she directed for ten years. She has helped bring productions of French theater, including the Comédie Française, to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where she also serves on the board of directors. She organized the 2009 exhibition Paris Chicago: The Photography of Jean- Christophe Ballot at Loyola University Museum of Art. She is a member of Town and Country Arts Club and the Antiquarian Society, Textile Society, and Sustaining Fellows of the Art Institute of Chicago. Gayle holds a decorative arts certificate from Christie s, New York (1995); a Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from Syracuse University (1977); and an MA in English from the University of Kent at Canterbury, UK (1970). She was awarded the Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture in 2007, and resides in Chicago and Paris.

8 Our programs are filled with unique art experiences that would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replicate on one s own. Every amenity is carefully chosen to match the fine quality of the artistic experience. Trip price 3,560 euros ($4,985 at publication) per person for Double Occupancy 3,960 euros ($5,545 at publication) per person for Single Occupancy Please note: this published price is a good estimate, but is not always the final price, since it is not possible to determine in advance how many people will be participating and foreign currency exchange rates. Airline travel is not included. Enroll by March 30 to take advantage of the special early enrollment discount. Masterworks of the Loire, France September 26 October 2, 2010 Join us for this unique experience.

9 Masterworks of the Loire Sept. 26 Oct. 2, 2010