The Aula Nova is home to a display of chests. The complete collection, only some of which is on display here at Chillon, consists of 80 pieces. Most of the pieces date from the 17th and 18th centuries, but some date back to the Gothic or even Roman eras. The other rooms in the castle house various pieces of furniture such as tables, chairs, credenzas and even carved doors.

The Association for the Restoration of Chillon Castle was founded in 1887 with the aim of restoring the monument and creating a museum to illustrate the various periods of Vaud’s history. Ever since, the collection has been enriched by purchases, donations and bequests.

The castle owes some of its most beautiful pieces of furniture to Vevey-born architect, Ernest Burnat (1833-1922). In 1889, as custodian, he defined the furniture acquisition policy. His tour de force was, without a doubt, the purchase of a chest made by Alexandre Mayer, a cabinetmaker from Swabia, and the artist behind several masterpieces in Valais towards the end of the 17th century.

In 1912, the castle architect and first archaeologist for the Canton of Vaud, Albert Naef (1862-1936) had six copies of chests belonging to the Valère Basilica (Sion, Valais) made. It is clear they were meant to furnish the great halls, judging by their 13th-century manufacture date, which coincided with the castle’s first construction phase in around 1260.

Legend has it that he rid the town of Silene (Libya) of a winged monster, allegory of the devil.

As the patron saint of chivalry, the saint is depicted in accordance with 15th-century stylistic canons: stood on top of the dragon’s stomach, beardless and dressed in a full suit of armour. His shield is decorated with a cross and he probably held a lance in his right hand.

The sculpture’s origins are unknown, however, it was designed to be viewed from the front, since its back and sides are not decorated. The saint is looking downward, also suggesting it was supposed to be placed high up. There are still some polychrome fragments visible on his face and armour: red, black, silver and gold plating.

Chillon chapel was dedicated to Saint George by the House of Savoy in 1351. The statue was acquired by the Association for the Restoration of Chillon Castle in 1895 to mark the occasion.

42 centimetres wide and 45 centimetres high, when struck, the bell rings out a G note. Created in 1583, it bears no trace of the name of its founder. It was designed a year before a violent earthquake hit the Chablais region and Chillon Castle hard. After this disaster, the watchtower underwent numerous repairs. Therefore, we do not know if the bell is in its original location or if it was moved during this work. It is decorated with a frieze that is often found as a decorative motif on 15th- and 16th-century bells in French-speaking Switzerland. It is partially covered by text written in red paint, reading ‘FELIX BERARD 1896’. This was probably the name of a roofer or carpenter who worked on the tower at that time. The bell ringing system consists of a damper lever and a hammer that hits the bell at its base. Although still on site, the device no longer works and requires restoration. It is one of the few bells in the canton of Vaud that was not equipped with a ball bearing during the 20th century but has kept its original fixing system, which makes it a significant piece of heritage.

A joint purchase between the Cantonal Museum of Archaeology & History of Lausanne and the Chillon Castle Foundation, this automaton offers an insight into what the castle looked like before the archaeological excavation and restoration campaigns of the 1890s. It is usually exhibited in the museum, in the ‘Vaud history’ section, but every two or three years it is moved to the castle and resides in the Coat of Arms Hall for a few months.

This exceptional piece from the late 19th century is the work of Vaudois watchmaker Edouard-Gabriel Wüthrich. Like many of his contemporaries who were inspired by Lord Byron’s poem The Prisoner of Chillon, the artist depicted Genevan prisoner François Bonivard‘s captivity in Chillon castle.

‘Chillon Castle’ is a mechanical and musical work of art, which offers a complete tour of the castle through moving mechanisms on both its facades. Complex watchmaking movements power around one hundred figurines, reenacting an attack on Chillon Castle by troops from Geneva and Bern, as well as the release of Bonivard in 1536. Barred windows give a view of the inside of the rooms, in particular, scenes of torture in the prison.

Initially this automaton was displayed on a cart which made it easy to transport from town to town. This is how it was exhibited at Beaulieu Square in Lausanne and at the Vaudois Cantonal Exhibition in Yverdon in 1894.

The automaton was purchased thanks to generous support from the Circle of Friends of Chillon, the Cantonal Museum of Archaeology & History, and Chillon Castle Foundation.

From the end of the 19th century, the excavations undertaken at Chillon Castle made it possible to exhume many fragments of stoves made of glazed and embossed face tiles, some dating back to the 14th century. In the meantime, several complete specimens – of varous types and origins – were acquired to furnish the castle. This exceptional stove was added to the collection in 1888, having spent more than two centuries in Lutry town hall.

Built in 1602 to heat the town council chamber, it consists of a Nialin stone body and a tower with a crowning of catelle tiles. Its manufacture is particularly well documented since we know the names of the mason and potter who worked there: Amaudruz from Lutry and Henri Baud, from Freiburg.

The stove was severely damaged and relegated to a secondary room in Vaud City Hall in the mid-19th century; however, local scholars agreed on its historical importance and the Association for the Restoration of Chillon Castle acquired it in 1888. It was first installed in the Constable’s Dining Hall. It stayed there for 50 years before being moved to the Camera Nova when the room was refurbished for the Association’s committee meetings. The stove was equipped with a cast iron heating element in the tower and heat registers on the outside by stove fitter Marius Grognuz.

The shape – a stove with a rounded rectangular front topped with a column – was common in the 17th century. The lower part is decorated with a sun accompanied by six stars and a shield bearing the Lutry coat of arms, while the column is covered with polychrome motifs painted at an angle on a green embossed background. In the centre is the city’s red and white coat of arms held up by two putti. The inscriptions ‘Lutry’ and ‘Winter’ appear under the turrets, and the year 1602 appears in two places.

This stove is the oldest example preserved in its entirety in the Canton of Vaud, and the oldest specimen dated and attributed to Fribourg.