Lost In Limoges

From the sheep-dotted pastures of France's underpopulated Southwest, Limoges rises in all its grey glory. The city's claim to fame: fine porcelain. The half-timbered houses of the Medieval center are surrounded by strip malls and McDo. Land-hungry Brits descend with flailing pocketbooks (thanks, RyanAir). The weather is remarkably cool year-round. Sure, I live on rue de Nice, but this is NOT the Cote d'Azur. Welcome to Limoges, "the middle of nowhere"-- or as Pierre says "everywhere"-- France.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Musée Jacquemart André: A Museum Gem in Paris


I had never heard of the Musée Jacquemart André. In a city bursting at the seams with museums, it's easy to overlook the smaller ones. But when we discovered this museum, I was astonished. The collection is incredible, but even more interesting is the place itself: a splendid hôtel particulier, a sumptuous private mansion built during the Second Empire. The owners, Edouard André and his wife Nélie Jacquemart (whom he first met when she painted his portrait), were passionate collectors. During the 19th century, they held elaborate society functions at this gorgeous palace located off the Boulevard Haussmann, not far from the Champs-Élysées. (Métro Miromesnil or St Philippe du Roule)

Get the audio guide. Not only does it explain the incredible art collection-- like a mini-Louvre-- but it also paints in vivid detail the life of the aristocracy of the time. You'll find major works from the French 18th century school (Fragonard, Vigée-Lebrun, Boucher), paintings from the Dutch and Flemish masters (Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Ruysdael), and an enormous collection from the Italian Renaissance. In fact, there's a museum within the museum, a private collection of Italian works (hidden away on the second floor) that Nélie was especially passionate about. She traveled the world after her husband's death, continuing to sniff out the undiscovered masterpieces.

The furnishings are as opulent as the paintings. (I snapped these photos on the sly, so they're not always in focus.) I loved the winter garden room, lit by skylights, and the dark little chamber where the gentlemen smoked cigars after dinner. The tea room is magnificent. All the well-heeled Parisians crowd the room for salads and gourmet lunches. We sipped tea--Mom chose the Chinese tea my grandmother drank-- surrounded by beautiful tapestries from Brussels. Like the fresco above the mansion's staircase, the ceiling in the tea room was painted by Tiepolo.

PS. Apparently the mansion was the background setting for the musical film Gigi!

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