Dear visitors,
My wife and I, along with our children, are delighted to welcome you to l'Islette. The château, of course, will be the focal point of your visit. However, this property, with the river running through it, its mill, the English-style park, and a garden that is structured in front of the south façade but remains very close to nature, forms a harmonious ensemble that, I hope, will enchant you.
My parents acquired it in the mid-1960s when the monument was in very poor condition. We owe them for saving it by undertaking significant restoration work. However, in such a place, projects are never-ending. They have been a constant part of our lives since we took over l'Islette in 2010 and opened it to the public. The task is not necessarily easy, but it is certainly exhilarating. Your presence encourages us. Thank you, and I wish you a wonderful visit.
Pierre-André Michaud

Dear visitors,
I am happy to welcome you to this house.
We live here as a family for five months of the year. The other seven months are reserved for you, and we move to the neighboring farmhouse to allow you to discover it. Its interior layout, the size of its rooms, and their arrangement, along with the natural light that illuminates them, make it a very pleasant place to live. It is this warm and human dimension that we wanted to share with you, which led us to allow access to rooms that could be considered personal or even intimate.
I love this place for its beauty and because it offers me the opportunity for so many wonderful encounters. I sincerely hope that you will appreciate it as well.
Bénédicte Michaud

ENTRANCE GATEHOUSE

Composed of a stone gatehouse flanked by two square pavilions, the ensemble dates back to the early 17th century. It bears an inscription dated 1638 on the exterior. However, this date should not be confused with the completion of the château itself, which was finished around 1530.

MILL – RIVER

Originally a "banal" mill, where the people dependent on the lordship were required to grind their wheat in exchange for a fee, the old mill was converted into a residence after the war. Its mechanism has disappeared, but an examination of the Napoleonic cadastre reveals that it had two wheels, one on each side, corresponding to two different productions.

The river is the Indre, around which the property (approximately 50 hectares) stretches. The water element, essential to l'Islette ("small island"), is intimately linked to the beauty and charm of the site. The river also forms the natural boundary between two communes: Azay-le-Rideau on the right bank, where one enters, and Cheillé on the left bank, where the château is located.

This is the oldest part of the château, dating back to the 15th century. During the Renaissance construction of the current monument, there was an old seigneurial residence in this wing, extending towards the river. Only a part of this brick and stone structure remains, likely a corner pavilion, which connected to the new château. The brick walls were internal, while the brick and tuffeau walls were external. One can see that this older building was lower, and various openings that have been filled in, as well as the slope of the roof.

However, the existence of l'Islette is even older, as a text from 1295 indicates that it was the property of Adam Panaterius, bailiff of Touraine.

Spanning 54 meters with its two towers, the monumentality of this Renaissance façade testifies to the architectural ambition behind the conception of l'Islette. This is evident in the choice of a four-story elevation with the attic. Despite stylistic similarities with the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, the project of l'Islette was likely conceived earlier but progressed more slowly due to its scale.

The two powerful corner towers, reminiscent of those in medieval châteaux, frame a main building with a very regular façade, rhythmically punctuated by windows of identical proportions. These windows, adorned with a volute in the center of the lintel, were originally all mullioned, as can still be seen on the second floor. The floors are separated by a double molding forming a band. The entire structure is crowned by a machicolated walkway.

Built of fine ashlar masonry, likely from nearby quarries, the château was originally surrounded by a moat (now replaced by gravel). Above the entrance, the two grooves of the drawbridge that allowed access to the château are still visible. Additionally, the tower roofs were pointed, and the dormer windows were topped with sculpted stone gables.

Around the 1830s/1840s, Jean-Baptiste Dupuy, the owner at the time, filled in the moats, truncated the towers, and altered the dormers, giving l'Islette its current appearance. Why such modifications? Previously thought to be cost-saving measures, it is now believed that this wealthy and strong-willed man wanted to leave his mark on the property.

CARVED CARTOUCHE

Located above the entrance door, this finely carved motif is from the Renaissance period. In the center, two naked male figures hold a helmet, surmounting a coat of arms, all surrounded by a crown of flowers and fruits, symbolizing abundance and wealth. Below, a beautiful landscape with a windmill and a bell tower. The richness and care given to this bas-relief indicate the importance placed on enhancing this entrance.

SUNDIAL

Dating from the second half of the 18th century, the sundial is notable for the figure-eight curve, known as an analemma, represented in its center. When it is noon by the sun, the shadow of the style meets the figure-eight curve. The signs of the zodiac that run along it allow us to determine the period of the year.

Painted at the beginning of the 17th century, the chapel's decorations have regained all their beauty thanks to a restoration carried out in 2012. The vault with its ribbed cross-vault is adorned with a scattering of six-pointed gold stars on a lapis lazuli blue background. The ribs, resting on carved capitals, are enhanced by a stylized vegetal decorative frieze.

Before its transformation into a chapel, this level was likely blind and had only defensive functions, like the southwest tower. Two French-style gun ports visible from the outside attest to this.

To access this room, you pass through the entrance hall, the mandatory passage point to enter the château via the drawbridge that originally existed. The monument was indeed surrounded by a moat. This can be seen very clearly on the Napoleonic cadastre, a reproduction of which is displayed in this room. Also, notice the old engraving: it is of l'Islette, surrounded by the moat water, with its pointed towers and dormers, before the modifications made in the 19th century.

This room, also restored, has been dedicated to Camille Claudel and Rodin, notably thanks to very interesting documents kindly provided by the Musée Rodin. These include letters from the two artists related to l'Islette or emblematic of their romantic and personal relationships.

CAMILLE CLAUDEL AND AUGUSTE RODIN, THE PASSION OF TWO ARTISTS

In 1882, Camille Claudel became the student of Auguste Rodin; she was 17 years old, while he was 41. Exceptionally talented, she quickly joined his studio. From this encounter, a dual passion, both romantic and artistic, was born and lasted for about a decade.

Exasperated at being confined to the role of a student and desiring to emancipate herself to gain recognition for her own creative work, Camille Claudel broke away in 1892. She had also realized that Rodin would not leave his companion, Rose Beuret, for her.

CAMILLE CLAUDEL AND AUGUSTE RODIN AT L'ISLETTE

L'Islette hosted the passionate love affair of the two great sculptors several times in the early 1890s. The property was a haven of peace for them. Their relationship being unofficial, it was a place where they liked to retreat. Why here? In July 1889, Rodin discovered the Loire and its châteaux, of which he made numerous drawings – including that of l'Islette (in the common room) – and it is believed that it was during this first trip that he noticed the château. The owners at the time simply received paying guests. They both returned during the summers of 1890, 1891, and 1892.

MONUMENT TO BALZAC

(see the photos immediately to the left upon entering the common room)
In August 1891, the Société des Gens de Lettres, under the presidency of Émile Zola, commissioned Rodin to create a Monument to Balzac. Enthusiastic, the artist returned to stay at l'Islette and, seeking a model with a Tourangeau type, found one in a carter from Azay-le-Rideau named Estager, whose resemblance to the great writer was reportedly striking. Rodin, who always began by sculpting his figures nude before clothing them, had to pay Estager a gold louis per session to reveal his anatomy! Thus, at l'Islette, an important initial phase in the creation of the Monument to Balzac took place. The work was only completed in 1898, but it was rejected as not resembling enough for most of his contemporaries; Rodin had wanted to create a moral portrait of the artist. He then took it to his villa in Meudon and it was not installed in Paris, at the Carrefour Vavin, until July 1, 1939, well after his death in 1917.

The Great Hall, with its beautiful and high-quality decorations, is the pride of this château. It appears even more prestigious when one imagines that it may have served as a studio for Camille Claudel and Rodin during their stays at l'Islette.

It is named the Saint-Paul Room after a painting representing the conversion of Paul on the road to Damascus, which once adorned the fireplace. The painting has since disappeared and has been replaced by a Virgin and Child attributed to the school of Simon Vouet.

This room (14 meters long by 8 meters wide and 5 meters high) offers remarkable pictorial decoration from the beginning of the 17th century, constituting a high-level symbolic and theological iconographic program, a testament to the period marked by confessional conflicts. Painted elements include the entire ceiling, the fireplace, the woodwork of the baseboards, the panels above the doors, and a frieze running along the top of the walls. On the baseboards, elegant bouquets of flowers alternate with landscapes often featuring water, an element so present at l'Islette: one can distinguish a fishing scene or a shepherdess watching over her sheep by the river.

On the frieze, various medallions have also been painted: among others, to the right of the fireplace, Venus, the goddess of beauty, and Eros, the god of love, armed with his bow and quiver; on the opposite side of the room, a combat scene. The whole is richly decorated with fruits and flowers symbolizing abundance.

FIREPLACE

Under the central painting adorning the fireplace (the Virgin and Child), a painted medallion depicts a hunting scene, always by the water's edge, emphasizing the importance of this element at l'Islette. On either side of the painting are allegories of virtues that the lord of the place must have wanted to highlight. To the left, two theological virtues: at the bottom, Hope, recognizable by her anchor; above, Faith, with a Bible and a crucifix as attributes. There is a third one that is not represented here: Charity. As for the cardinal virtues, apart from prudence and temperance, which are not depicted, one can distinguish, on the right, justice and fortitude. Upon closer inspection, the four bundles of arms are additions. The fireplace is still very ornate, but in their place, there must have been sculpted motifs.

FRIEZE OF COATS OF ARMS

The château was built around 1530 by René de Maillé, a member of an important noble family from Touraine who owned it for three centuries, from 1350 to around 1650. We owe this frieze of 27 coats of arms, painted at the top of the walls, to his great-grandson, Charles de Maillé, who became a marquis in 1612. It has a particular historical interest here since the coats of arms of the Maillé family, the owners of l'Islette, occupy the entire frieze on the south side to end, in the middle, facing the fireplace, with that of Charles, surmounted by the marquis' crown (those of his maternal family are represented on the north side).

Among these coats of arms, however, there is an intruder: it has nothing noble! It is the one above the fireplace that Jean-Baptiste Dupuy (one can see a well!) had painted, the owner who decided on the 19th-century façade modifications.

BEDROOM IN THE WEST TOWER

A square room in a round tower, the thickness of its walls (2.30 meters) has been utilized... Perhaps Camille Claudel stayed in this room. Indeed, on the one hand, we know that Rodin rented several rooms on this floor and, on the other hand, in a letter she wrote to him on June 25, 1893, she said: “Mlle Vaissier came to see me and told me all sorts of fables invented about me at l'Islette. It seems that I go out at night through the window of my tower, suspended from a red umbrella with which I set fire to the forest!!!”

SMALL BEDROOM WITH BRICK WALLS

Here, one finds the ancient 15th-century part of the building, this time on the interior side. This brick facing, with its "tight" joints – from close up, one can see the two sides of the joint corresponding to the mason's trowel strokes – has remained as it was in those days.

Here you are in the other tower of the château, the one located to the east. We are just above the chapel; one of the doors, locked, leads to a small staircase carved into the wall, allowing access to it.
Today, this room has been converted into a kitchen. Here too, you will have noticed the thickness of the walls. This is evident in the appliances, especially the Frigidaire, a brand that Mr. and Mrs. Michaud absolutely wanted to keep and had completely repaired. Finally, notice the beautiful view of the river.
You have traversed the entirety of this first floor, from one tower to the other.
The second floor has a layout identical to this one. It will a priori never be open to visitors. It consists of other living spaces for the private use of the owners.

This room is very pleasant to live in, thanks in particular to the large windows that provide it with plenty of natural light throughout the day. It offers a beautiful view of the garden.
In the Renaissance, this room and the kitchen probably formed the lord's apartment. The current dining room would have been the bedroom, with the bed placed next to the fireplace (the widest wall) and the kitchen corresponded to the wardrobe. The small room covered with a beautiful vault on a cross of ogives constituted a study. On the second floor, the lady of the house's apartment can be located in the same place.

LA PETITE CHÂTELAINE (The little châtelaine)

Camille Claudel, returning alone to l'Islette from September 1892, certainly to recover from a pregnancy that did not come to term, and at the time of her breakup with Rodin, had the little Marguerite Boyer, 6 years old, granddaughter of the owners, pose 62 times. From these numerous sessions, she created La Petite Châtelaine, one of her most famous sculptures, "the little one from l'Islette" as she called her, perhaps the child she never had. Upon seeing one of the marbles, Rodin declared: “This bust gave me the punch of emulation.” There are several variants of La Petite Châtelaine, the difference being in the hairstyle. You can admire here a bronze of this wonderful sculpture, with a brown patina. It is the model with a curved, tightly braided braid.

LES CAUSEUSES (The gossips)

Also in the dining room, an original bronze of Les Causeuses by Camille Claudel. From 1892 onwards, she distinguished herself from Rodin, particularly with miniature sculptures depicting intimate scenes from everyday life. She received numerous accolades and multiplied the versions. The model presented here is in bronze with a black-brown patina, signed "C. Claudel 1896" on the front.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISIT!