Grand Tour of the Château de Chambord by: Anonymous
Hi Kendra thanks for writing in. You brooch sounds fascinating.
A little background history will help here.... at the time François' ascended the throne in 1515, the Renaissance had clearly arrived in France.
He became a major patron of the arts and lent his support to many of the greatest artists of his time and encouraged them to come to France. Some greats he convinced to leave Italy were Andrea del Sarto, and Leonardo da Vinci.
Château de Chambord, (shahn-bor), kings' castle, is without a doubt, one of the most remarkable Renaissance castles in France. Many consider it to be the most beautiful Château of the Loire Valley. We also think that Leonardo De Vinci had his hand in the design.
One of the masterpieces of the castle is attributed to Leonardo. It is a double helix staircase, with each stairway superimposed on the other so that two people can climb or descend simultaneously without ever having to meet.
While Leonardo did little painting in his years in France, he brought with him many of his great works, such as the Mona Lisa, and these stayed in France.
The stylized Salamander, that you see depicted on this item was François' chosen emblematic animal. Still today, you will see salamanders around the castle Château de Chambord, especially on the decorated vaults of the third floor.
Château de Chambord is the granddaddy of all châteaux in the Loire. It's surrounded by Europe's largest enclosed forest park, a game preserve defined by a 20-mile-long wall and teeming with wild deer and boar.
The point is, the castle attracts thousands of site-seers today as it did in the late 19th century. A highlight on the itinerary during the belle-epoque, 1890 - 1914 was the age-old tradition of the Grand Tour; this brooch was probably a souvenir, a piece of memorabilia to take home of the Château de Chambord in France.
The catch you mention, on the reverse, sounds like a trombone clasp and is in keeping of the time-period. This type of catch was used at the end of the 19th century until the 1940s.
Your brooch sounds quite remarkable, the common souvenir was the Italian cameo.
