La Vie Romantique of George Sand and Chopin
February, the month of romance, marks the reopening of La Musée de la Vie Romantique (Feb. 28). Off the main track of tourist itineraries, it holds objects dear to George Sand and Chopin—famous Parisian lovers. Celebrate the reopening and reacquaint yourself with their fascinating lives—see George Sand among her most intimate belongings… paintings…jewels…
It’s February, romance is in the air…rejoice by attending the reopening of La Musée de la Vie Romantique, 16, rue Chaptal, on February 28, 2006. Mark your calendars. The museum can be considered a “find” — originally the Italianate home of the then well-known artist (mostly forgotten today) Ary Scheffer, of the early 1800s. It is listed only occasionally in guidebooks. It’s too far off the beaten track for those tourists simply wanting to immerse themselves in the top Parisian sites. I found it only after several trips to Paris when I had time to myself and time to look deeper into the city of my dreams, time to seek its celebrated people in their own milieu.
George Sand, her past lovers, Musset, Liszt, and Chopin, along with the grand painter Delacroix, attended Friday night soirées here. I can see them now wafting through the tree-lined alley in anticipation of an evening’s delight. It seems fitting that some of her personal belongings should be carefully kept in reserve here. I remember coming across, quite unexpectedly in Salle 1, the haunting plaster casts of her hand and then Chopin’s left hand, oddly by none other than Auguste Clésinger, the violent husband of her daughter Solange. Thankfully, they’re now safely kept in vitrines, kindly letting us wonder at the intimacy of it all. Seeing her hand, the hand of the famous writer, and his hand, the hand of the famous pianist. Well, it was breathtaking and much more than one could ask for on any trip through any museum!
But, I move too fast. Upon entering the musée the first time, I knew it was a repository for George Sand memorabilia and I had had in my mind I’d see the accoutrements of the classic, defiant, individualistic George Sand. The George Sand we all know so well, of men’s clothing, of cigars and cigarettes…I did see her cigarette case, but much more. Jewels. Bijoux, literally, rubies, diamonds, in the vitrines that gave a precise sartorial account of the dressing details of this fascinating woman and her ancestors. I looked around, and saw portraits of George Sand, in her Aurore personification, gorgeous, black hair parted stylishly in the middle, flowers pinned into her coif. Seeing these, it became crystal clear how she attracted so many lovers. And this brings me back to why I’m sharing this as my romantic destination to Bonjourparis readers in this romantic month of February.
Although too early to sit in the luscious outdoor garden, plan to return in spring. This is where I have returned often, and sat outside, looking upon the maison framed in pink flowers, seeking George Sand and Chopin, and often reading what they wrote about each other, during those times their love was in bloom:
Chopin first. They met in the end of 1836. Sand made a negative first impression, but by two weeks the musician, enthralled, was writing in his diary: “I now have seen her three times. She looked deeply into my eyes while I played. It was rather sad music, the legends of the Danube; my heart danced with her…And her eyes in my eyes, somber eyes, singular eyes, what were they saying? She was leaning on the piano and her embracing gaze flooded me…Flowers around us. My heart was captured! I’ve seen her twice afterwards…Aurora…what a charming name!”
And she, the powerful George Sand, wrote to her dear friend, Delacroix, two years later, in September 1838: “I am still in the same state of intoxication as when you last saw me. There is not one single little cloud in our clear sky, not one grain of sand in our lake…You think this happiness cannot last? If I consult my memory and my reason it certainly cannot last. But if I consult the state of my heart and my elation, it seems to me it can never end….”
I’d like to leave them and you here in this state of intoxication. Explore the museum, finding your own revelations. Don’t miss the charming fan painted by Sand in 1837 at Nohant or her writing boite. Until next time.
Musée de la Vie Romantique
16, rue Chaptal
75009 Paris
Tel: 01 55 31 95 67
Closed Mondays and public holidays
Hours: 10h-18h
Métro: St-Georges; Bus: 67
