The Museum of Romantic Life – the hidden gem of the 9th arrondissement

The name of the Museum of Romantic Life may be a little misleading to those who have never visited it. Despite its proximity to Pigalle and the sex shops of Boulevard Marguerite-de-Rochechouart, it has nothing to do with romance or love. As a result, tourists who hear its name for the first time and realize that it is not a cousin of Museum of Erotica, which closed a few years ago, may give it up and in doing so they are making a big mistake.

This is one of the secret gems that is mostly known only toAdvanced FrancophilesThe reason for this is that the Museum of Romantic Life is hidden in one of the most charming but also least known neighborhoods of Paris, aka La Nouvelle Athènes (New Athens).

This neighborhood is located in9th District, was built during the first half of the 19th century and received its name both because of its buildings, some of which were built in the neoclassical style, and because of the many intellectuals who lived there.

And there on Chaptal Street is a small villa, which served as a meeting place for all that intellectual and artistic elite of Paris. Who didn't stay there? The poet Lamartine (Alphonse de Lamartine 1790-1869), the writer and poet Victor Hugo, the painter Delacroix (Eugène Delacroix 1798-1863) and many others.

What was so special about this villa and why did it become the “Museum of Romantic Life” over the years? Who lived in it? And most importantly, why is it highly recommended that you visit it on your next visit to the City of Lights? I would be happy to answer all these questions and more immediately.

Who lived in the little villa on Shaftel Street?

Two people, a man and a woman, one somewhat unknown and the other much more famous, lived there during the 19th century. The first is the painter Ary Scheffer (1795-1858) while the second is Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin de Francueil, better known to us as the writer George Sand (1804-1876). Since the Museum of Romantic Life is dedicated to both of them, it is worth getting to know each of them a little before we visit it.

Ari Shefer

The painter Ari Scheffer was born in the city of Dodrecht, Netherlands, in 1795 to a family of painters. Since he showed great talent for painting from an early age, he was sent to study painting in Amsterdam at the age of 11 and in 1811 moved to Paris with his two brothers, the future journalist Arnold Scheffer (1796-1853) and the painter Hendrik Scheffer (1798-1862).

During their first years in the City of Lights, Ari Shefer and his brother studied at the Art School inIn the sixth district With the painter Pierre-Narcisse Guérin (1774-1833), and there they met the one who would become the greatest of the Romantic painters, namely Eugène Delacroix, who also studied with the same teacher.

In 1822, Ari Sheffer became the painting teacher of the children of the Duke of Orléans, who eight years later would become King Louis Philippe I. A warm bond was formed between the painter and the members of the royal family, which resulted in Ari Sheffer receiving quite a few commissions for projects during the reign of Louis Philippe (1-1830).

Ari Sheffer's most talented student was Princess Marie (1813-1839), who, thanks to her studies, became one of the first women in the history of art to engage in sculpture. That princess died of tuberculosis at a young age but managed to create several impressive sculptures, some of which can be found in the museum, as we will see later. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

In the same year that Louis Philippe came to power, Ari Sheffer moved to live in a house at 16 Chaptal Street. He did this because at that time the neighborhood was already known for the artists and intellectuals who lived there. Ari Sheffer and his wife began hosting the cultural elite who lived in their neighborhood every Friday, and as I wrote in the introduction, quite a few artists visited this house over the years, one of whom was Georges Sand, about whom I will write in a moment.

However, in 1848 a revolution broke out. Ari Shefer, who was not only a painter but also an officer, helped the royal family escape from the palace.Tuileries He even fought alongside the forces that protected the king from the revolutionaries. However, none of this helped and Louis Philippe was forced to flee France with his family. After the change of government, Ari Sheffer stopped engaging in politics and devoted the last decade of his life to art. He died in 1858 as a result of heart disease and was buried inMontmartre Cemetery.

His illegitimate daughter Cornelia Marjolin-Scheffer (Francès Cornelia Marjolin-Scheffer 1830-1899) decided to buy the house where her father lived (he never bought the house but only rented it). Cornelia was a talented pianist and lived in this house until her death in 1899.

After her death, the house passed into the hands of Noémie Renan, a relative of hers and the daughter of the intellectual Ernest Renan. The house remained with that family until 1983, when it was given in its entirety to the Paris municipality to become the Renan-Schéffer Museum, which would perpetuate the two families who lived in the building. In 1987, after a significant renovation, the museum opened and was given a new name, the “Museum of Romantic Life” because it was concerned not only with preserving the legacy of those who lived there but also the cultural elite of the first half of the 19th century (known as the Romantic period in the history of France).

George Sand

One of the famous artists of that period, who visited this house quite often with her lover, the famous pianist and composer Frederic Chopin (1810-1849), was Georges Sand, to whom the first floor of the museum is dedicated. In my opinion, getting to know her fascinating life story can definitely enhance your visit to the museum, so allow me to provide you with a summary of it.

There is no doubt that this famous writer has a fascinating family history. After all, not everyone is a descendant of two royal bastards (one of “Augustus the Strong” King of Saxony and the other the illegitimate son of Louis XV). Since I have already written about Georges Sand’s ancestors inThis article  I won't repeat that but will focus on her life.

She grew up with her grandmother in a castle in the town of Nohant in the Berry region and at the age of 18 she married Casimir Dudevant (1795-1871), with whom she had a son named Maurice (1823-1889) and a daughter named Solange (1828-1899). However, no woman like Georges Sand would agree to imprison herself in a dreary married life, and after a few years she embarked on what she called the “romantic rebellion,” which ended in 1835 with her obtaining a full divorce from her husband and custody of their children.

During and after the "Romantic Revolt," Georges Sand had a series of turbulent romantic relationships, including with writer Alfred de Musset (1810-1857), playwright Prosper Mérimée (1803-1870), known to us for his work "Carmen," politician Louis Blanc (1811-1882), and many others.

However, there is no doubt that Georges Sand's most famous romantic relationship was with Frederic Chopin. This relationship, which had its ups and downs, lasted for about a decade and ended about two years before the composer's death. Georges Sand and Chopin lived in the same neighborhood as the Museum of Romantic Life, with their most famous home being on the Square d'Orléans, where the couple had two separate apartments (if you thought that Merav Michaeli and Lior Schlein invented the concept of a couple living in separate apartments, you were wrong).

Georges Sand had an unconscious tendency to be drawn to people in poor health, to be frustrated by her becoming a kind of compassionate sister to them, and then to leave them to their own devices. This was exactly what happened with Alfred de Musset, who was abandoned by her during their trip to Italy, and so it was with Chopin (although the fact that he supported his daughter Solange during a dispute between them contributed to the separation from the composer). Interestingly, both Alfred de Musset and Chopin died almost next to each other, Chopin inPlace Vendome while Musa is on Mont Thabor Street, which is a short walk away (both were also buried inPere Lachaise).

When she was not leading a turbulent romantic life, Georges Sand was a writer. She wrote her first book, Rose et Blanche, in 1831 with her then lover, the writer Jules Sandeau (1811-1882), and since then she has written many books, which have made her the most successful writer of her time (during the 30s and 40s she achieved even greater success than Honoré de Balzac and Victor Hugo).

In addition to being a writer, she was also quite involved in politics. During the 40s, she worked for the common people and the poor and was very active in the Revolution of 1848 (interestingly, she and Ari Shaffer, whose memory is commemorated by the Museum of Romantic Life, were on both sides of the fence). Later, after Napoleon III's violent seizure of power, Georges Sand decided to remain in France and she managed to save the lives of several of the revolutionaries who opposed the emperor.

Of course, it cannot be ignored that George Sand was also one of the first fighters for women's rights in her time, and she did so both by personal example (divorcing a husband she did not love, the fact that she used to wear trousers, and more) and through quite a few literary works and pamphlets. At the end of her life, after the Franco-Prussian War and the establishment of the Paris Commune, George Sand, to the surprise of many, actually moved to the right and demanded that the government take a hard line against the Communards following the violence they resorted to and the destruction they sowed.

In her last years, Georges Sand began to paint, and some of her landscape paintings can be found in the Musée des Vieux Romantics. She died at her home in Neuhin in 1876. In 1923, her granddaughter decided to transfer a large part of her property, which included furniture, paintings, and other works of art, to the city of Paris. Initially, these works of art were displayed in the Musée de la Carnevale, but during the 80s they were transferred to the Musée des Vieux Romantics.

This made the museum one of only three literary museums in Paris (the other two are Victor Hugo's house inMarais District And Balzac's house in16th DistrictTherefore, when we visit the Museum of Life together, we will enjoy not only “regular” works of art, but also those that are related to the literary life of George Sand.

Visit to the Museum of Romantic Life

Now that we have gotten to know the story of the two main “players” at the Museum of Romantic Life, it is time to provide you with all the information you need to visit the place. We will start with the basic information (addresses, opening hours, etc.) and then I will write a little about the things you should not miss when visiting the museum.

Museum address and directions

The museum's address is: Rue Chaptal 16.

You can get there by metro in three ways:

• Take line 2 and get off at Pigalle or Blanche stations.
• Take line 13 and get off at Liège station.
• Take line 12 and get off at Saint-Georges station.

If you would like to arrive by bus, you are welcome to take 30,54,67,68 or 74.

Opening hours and ticket prices

The Museum of Romantic Life is open every day, except Mondays, from 10:00 AM to 18:00 PM. The box office closes at 17:40 PM.

Admission to the permanent exhibitions is free, however, the painting workshop, which is located near the entrance, hosts temporary exhibitions, which cost money. To find out which exhibitions are taking place during your trip, please visit the exhibitions page on my website orMuseum website.

What can be found in the museum?

It is a small museum with two floors, each containing several rooms. The lower floor is dedicated to Georges Sand, while the upper floor is dedicated to Larry Schafer and other painters from the first half of the 19th century.

Here is a short but well-made video that will show you the inside of the museum. It is indeed a talking French But don't worry. You already know the history of the place, and below you will find more information about what you can find in each of the museum's rooms.

George Sand's "Treasure Room"

I only value objects that have been given to me by people I love. George Sand

Here you will find a long list of objects that belonged to the famous writer and were transferred to the museum from her estate in Noyon. For example, you will find here a portrait of Marshal de Saxe (1696-1750), the greatest general of King Louis XV, who was one of her ancestors. Alongside him you will also find portraits of Chopin (including a sculpture of his hands), Delacroix and other artists and intellectuals who visited the place.

George Sand's living room and the blue guest room

In this charming room you will find, among other things, the famous portrait of Georges Sand by Auguste Charpentier. You will also find furniture from the 18th century.

In the Blue Room you will find small landscape paintings painted by the famous writer, alongside portraits of some of the most famous people of her time, including actress Rachel Félix (1821-1858), opera singer Maria Malibran (1808-1836), and more.

The Romantic Period Portrait Room

After you have finished visiting the ground floor, it is time to go up the stairs to the second floor (which is actually considered the first floor) dedicated to Larry Schafer. In the first room on this floor you will find a series of portraits of women that Schafer painted. One of the most famous and beautiful portraits here is that of Pauline Viardot (1821-1910), a famous opera singer and sister of Maria Malibran, who, unlike her sister, lived a long life.

 

Orléans Family Room

This room is dedicated to the family of King Louis Philippe I, who studied art with Ari Sheffer. Pay particular attention to the sculptures of Marie of Orléans, his most talented student. The most dominant theme in all of these sculptures is the Middle Ages, which became very popular in French society, especially after Victor Hugo’s book “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

The statue that immediately caught my eye was that of Joan of ArcThis is a miniature of a marble statue that can be found in the palace. VersaillesIt's unbelievable how talented this princess was and how unfortunate it is that she died at such a young age.

Beyond that, you will find quite a few portraits of the Orléans family, who continued to commission paintings from Marie Schaefer throughout his life. I didn’t take any pictures of them during my last visit (October 2019), but I did take a picture of the guard napping, and that’s also a kind of work of art, isn’t it? 🙂

Ari Sheffer's study room

Here you will find quite a few of Ari Sheffer's paintings. As you will see, one of his favorite genres is paintings depicting excerpts from great literary works. Therefore, you will find here pictures depicting excerpts from The Human Comedy or from Goethe's Faust. Here is one of the beautiful pictures by Ari Sheffer that you can find in the museum:

Next to Schafer's study you will also find a room dedicated to Ernest Renan, the famous theologian, whose son married a relative of Schafer's. Ernest Renan was a theologian who, for the purpose of his research on the roots of Christianity, went and studied Hebrew on a regular basis. If you are interested in the subject, I highly recommend listening to Professor Hersgur's lecture on the man and his work:

This room ends the visit to the museum. You are welcome to go downstairs and even sit in the charming little cafe in the garden. If you are looking for what else there is to do in the area, I recommend checking out the article aboutAttractions in the Ninth District Or alternatively go a little north and visitMontmartre.

And finally, if you are looking for hiking trails in this area and other areas of Paris, you are welcome to visitLink this.