This château is at once evocative of the Renaissance, with its famous horseshoe staircase, and of the imagery of Épinal, with the poignant scene of Napoleon bidding farewell to the faithful soldiers of the Old Guard in Adieux de Napoléon. In 1528, François I put Gilles Le Breton in charge of replacing the old hunting lodge of the kings of France. The left wing and the façade of the Cour des Adieux, the Galerie François I, forming the first major Renaissance ensemble in France, as well as the Ballroom (Grands Appartements) all date from this period. The first school of Fontainebleau for painting was then born under the direction of the Italians Rosso and Primaticcio.