Episode 232 - Notre Dame with Four Weeks to Go

Yesterday marked just four weeks until we returned inside the Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris. The doors will open, and we will cross through the Portail du Judgment Dernier. Once again, we will look up and take in every amazing detail the cathedral has to offer. 

For the last 2,037 days, we have clung to every bit of news from the restoration site. Over the last few years, I have witnessed the smallest changes, from the cleaned pinnacles to the largest, with the reappearance of her spire. With each update, the past five years quickly become a memory, and it feels like her silhouette has always reached out to the sky. 

On November 15, the Notre Dame of the Pillar will arrive at Notre Dame after her week-long trip across France. For the past few years, she has been safely tucked away in Saint Germain l’Auxerrois next to the Louvre, where the Crown of Thorns occasionally occasionally appeared. 

While the US celebrates Thanksgiving, we in Paris will give thanks to the march of paintings, sculptures, and new furniture back inside the cathedral. 

Labeled the Renaissance of Notre Dame, a beautiful way to describe it, it has also involved over 2,000 craftsmen and women from 250 companies working on every single millimeter of the 860-year-old cathedral. 

Many of the changes can easily be seen. The entire roof and spire have returned to give us the familiar silhouette, and much of the scaffolding has been removed. All that remains is what moves the workers to the roof and the surrounding upper chevet. 

All mechanical and state-of-the-art fire systems have been installed. 

April 9, 2023

The Grande organ is tuned and ready, but the smaller choir organ must be rebuilt as it was destroyed in the fire. 

The towers will reopen to those who want to climb to the top after December 8 with a new route up the south tower. Two new landings have been added to help you catch your breath. The first landing will also have a history display of the cathedral and the key dates it has been a witness to.  The exit down the north tower will also have a new book shop, which, thank goodness, isn’t on the way up. The towers were completed in 1250, almost a hundred years after the church's building began. During the night of the fire it was the north tower that held the turning point on saving the Cathedral or watching it fall into ruins

The eight bells of the north tower were removed, cleaned, and tuned, and for the first time in over five years, they rang out once again at 10:30 a.m. on November 7. They will ring a few more times before the opening to ensure everything is working. 

When we return in just four weeks, it will mark a new key date in the cathedral's life. However, the work will be far from finished. 

October 22, 2024

While the interior is finished, the exterior of Notre Dame and the surrounding area will have three to four more years of work. With the roof structure in place, it is now time to return the ornamental objects to their perch. The lower part of the spire, the open work, still needs to be covered in lead. The scaffolding surrounding the spire reached through the roof to the altar floor and was removed over the summer to reinstall the marble steps and flooring. 

Now that the roof is in place, the scaffolding will once again crawl up the crevices of the transept, allowing the ornamental roofers to attach the preformed lead decorative pieces. When this is finished, the sixteen statues created under Viollet-le-Duc will finally rest atop the roof to watch over Paris once again. I can’t wait for that day! This should all be happening at the start of 2025. 

On each of the four sides of the transept are the clocks, which also control the bells placed on the roof and ring out on the hour each day. On Friday, November 8, the three new bells were displayed, two of which were struck by gold medal winners during the Olympics. Beginning in the next few weeks, they will be placed on the roof and ring out at each hour of the day. 

October 23, 2024

Every week, we hear inspiring stories from the people and companies working on bringing  Notre Dame back to us. Le Bras Fréres, a construction company that has been a part of the project since the morning after the fire. They quickly created large hangers at their workshop in Lorraine to fit under each buttress to hold up the cathedral. Twenty-eight were created, each weighing ten tons, 

The buttresses play a very important part in the structure of a Gothic cathedral. Each distributes the weight to give the building its light and airy look. This also means that if even one were to fall, the entire church would be in jeopardy. 

In yet one more giant ray of hope, they recently began to remove them. Beginning on the south side of the nave, they will slowly be removed one by one from the south to the north side by early 2025. Work will continue on the back part of the church, the cheat, and the buttresses at the beginning of the year. 

October 27, 2024

Of the 860 million euros donated to restore the church, a bit more than 140 million euros are still left, which will be used to pay for any continued work. 

When the portable office structures are finally removed, the City of Paris will then step in and have a major plan to develop the area surrounding the church. A large reception area for the public with cafes, restrooms, meeting spots for groups, and a bookstore will be built under the forecourt in the old parking lot. Complete with windows out to the Seine. Above ground, 160 trees will be added, and a park will be extended along the south side of the cathedral. Incorporating the existing park will stretch to the eastern end of the island. I can’t wait for the day we once again get to sit under the bushy pink cherry blossoms. 

Image from the City of Paris

Information on the opening weekend of Notre Dame de Paris is slowly being announced. 

The first weekend of December will be the 3rd Opening Ceremony of the Year in Paris and by far the greatest of them all. 

On December 7, a mass with the archbishop and church officials will follow a ceremonial key exchange from President Macron. There is currently a battle taking place between the Catholic Church, which is voicing its concern that they do not need the key exchange. However, it is actually the French government, not the Catholic Church, that owns the famed cathedral, so here we are. 

The opening on December 7 is by invitation only and will be under the highest security. 

The date of December 8 was specifically chosen as it is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which will be marked with multiple masses throughout the day. 

All visitors will need a timed ticket. This ticket should be free, but this could change if the Minister of Culture gets her way. Tickets will only be available a day in advance and ONLY through the official Notre Dame website. 

I will have details as soon as they are announced. 

Inside, the visitor route has changed with entry through the center's Last Judgment door and to Northside, Ally of the Promise, and chapels renamed for seven important figures of the Old Testament.  

South will be the Alle of Pentecost, named after the Saints of Paris and the Fruits of the Holy Spirit: St Joseph, Thomas of Aquinas, Clothilde, Vincent de Paul, Denis, and Genevieve. The opening will also launch a new app with walking routes, history, and information. Fifteen million people are expected to visit in the first year, that is more than the Louvre sees, so pack your patience and prepare to wait to gain entry, but I promise it will be well worth the wait; hey, we have waited five years and eight months, whats a few more hours. 

Episode 231 - Martha Gelhorn

Martha Gelhorn was born in St. Louis in 1908 to two parents who wanted much more for their daughter than the role women were to play at the time. Her father, George, was a doctor, and her mother, Edna, was politically active in the suffrage movement and served as Bryn Mawr's president. 

Her father pulled her out of school as soon as he learned the nuns had covered the pictures of female anatomy in health class and took her to the Mary Institute, where her mother was the president. It was also the school of another young girl who had been there a few years before, Hadley Richardson. 

At just 8 years old, her mother took her to the Democratic Party Suffrage rally in 1916 in St. Louis, giving her a very early view of the rights women should have. After attending Bryn Mawr for one year, she decided to leave and chase her career as a writer. In 1930, she would travel to Paris with a backpack and $50. Even in 1930 Paris, it was hard to find an inexpensive place to stay, and she came across a brothel where she could stay for a few francs. 

Inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, think of the times Eat Pray Love inspired people to pack up and head to Europe. With a copy in her backpack, she found a cheap place to stay and a job at the United Press as a foreign correspondent and also for Vogue. While in the city of love, she would later meet Bertrand de Jouvenal. Jouvenal had also been Colette's stepson and, later, her lover for five years. Some historians say Martha had married Bertrand, but in her own biography, she doesn’t say they did.  

Martha was not content to stay in one place too long. She became one of the first female war correspondents after traveling the US documenting the Depression for President Roosevelt. Never one to shy away from conflict, she was able to bring the stories in a way nobody else did. Gelhorn would find the real story and tell it from a raw and sympathetic point of view that touched her readers. 

Her outspoken nature got her in trouble in one job after another. While working for Roosevelt, she supported and encouraged angry FERA workers in Idaho to lash back at their horrible boss and encouraged them to break the office windows. Roosevelt fired her. She didn’t care. 

In 1936, after her father died, Martha, her mother, and her brother decided to spend Christmas in Key West. She was a fan of Hemingway’s writing, even had a picture of him hanging in her apartment at one time, and knew where to go to find him. They walked into the Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, still there today, and found Hem sitting at the bar. A popular recounting says she walked in, wearing a tight fighting black dress and her blond hair catching everyone’s attention. She did get attention, but it wasn’t so dramatic. 

He was immediately interested in her; she was unlike any of the women in his life. She was also a writer and war correspondent, her career, and marched to her drum. It is exactly what would split them apart. It was a friendship at first, and the seasoned writer supported and influenced her. Once she took off for Spain to cover the Civil War, he quickly followed, and their affair began. Pauline was back in Key West, and now another woman was doing exactly what she had done to Hadley. 

As one of the very first female war correspondents, she traveled to Germain in 1938 to see the rise of Hitler and to know what was to come. Gelhorn traveled wherever the story was, Czechoslovakia, Singapore, Russia, Finland, Burma, and Hong Kong, chasing the next story and reporting on it in a way no other writer did at the time, with love and empathy. 

In May 1939, Martha went to Cuba to write and she found the home that would be tied to him for the rest of his life. The Finca Vigia was rundown and in disrepair but she saw the potential, even though he hated it at first. He would spend his mornings writing and afternoons drinking, and she rarely sat still, always leaving to chase wars. 

On November 21, 1940, shortly after his divorce from Pauline was finalized, the two married in a small room in Wyoming. As a honeymoon, the two traveled to China, but he wasn’t happy about it. Hem was used to his wives catering to him and doing what he wanted; that was never going to be Martha. He didn’t understand why she didn’t want to be a wife and stay at home. 

Becoming more and more disenfranchised by the United States, she wanted to be in Europe as Hitler was taking over more of the continent. Finally, she found some passage to Europe and hid in a bathroom on a cargo ship from New York to England. It was the days leading up to D-Day, and to get to France, she dressed as a paramedic, traveled in an ambulance, and was the only woman on the beaches of Normandy. 

Martha had tried to help get her husband to Europe and asked Roald Dahl of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory fame, who also served in the Royal Air Force, to get him a seat on a flight from New York. Hem had another idea, he contacted Collier's who Martha worked for and offered to write for them on the war. This move would move her down the ladder, and he not only stole her job but also was over her. He tried all he could to get to the beaches but never made it, although he would retell it differently over time. 

The last straw came when on her return to England, she was asked about his health and she knew nothing about a car accident he had been in that was the beginning of many crashes and head injuries. Arriving at St George's hospital, he was surrounded by Boysturus friends and, on his bed, numerous empty bottles of alcohol. She was done with it and told him just that. Women didn’t leave Hem except Agnes, the nurse, during WWI, and Martha and his ego couldn't take it. 

At the same time, in Londo and then off to Paris, he was sleeping with his worst of all wives, Mary, a journalist and married.  In Paris, Martha and Hem planned a dinner to discuss their relationship. He showed up with a group of plans; she walked out. From Holland she sent him a letter on November 3 that she wanted a divorce, he was pissed but did agree. On December 21, 1945, the decree was granted, and it was over. Gelhorn never wanted to be the postscript in his biography, nor should she be.  

She continued chasing wars, going where women wouldn’t go. Her personal life was always a mess; she put herself first, above anything else. In 1949, she adopted a son, George Alexander Gelhorn, in Italy and would travel the world. Eventually, she left him with family in New Jersey and never looked back, and the two would never have much of a relationship. 

In 1954, she married again to T.S. Mathews, editor of Time magazine, and divorced nine years later. “Marriage bored me,” she said. 

Aside from writing about wars, she also wrote five novels, 14 novellas, and two collections of short stories, many of which are very witty and funny. In her books, she never mentioned Hemingway or let anyone else bring him up; she always called him the “unwilling companion.” 

In 1970 she finally settled down in London buying a flat in the city and a house in Wales and would continue to write and travel to Vietnam, Israel and Nivaragua until she was 81 years old. 

In her final years she suffered from liver and ovarian cancer and lost her eyeset. Always wanting to be control of her life Martha died on February 15,  1998 at 89 years old, taking her own life by swallowing cyanide pills. 

Listen to the newest episode of La Vie Creative - Paris History Avec A Hemingway today. 

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Episode 230 - Julia Child

Julia McWilliams Child, the woman who brought French cooking to America, fell in love with France as generations have fallen in love with her, born on August 15, 1912, in Pasadena into a wealthy family that had very very tall children. Julia would attend Smith College and due to her 6” 2 ‘ frame, she was perfect for the basketball team but would also play golf, tennis, and even act. Graduating with a degree in history in 1934, she wanted to become a writer and moved to New York to chase her dreams, but her vision of being the next big novelist wasn’t in the cards. Instead, she settled for working in the advertising department for the W & J Sloane furniture firm. 

As World War II broke out, she wanted to join the Women’s Army Corp, but due to her height, she was turned away. Joining the Office of Strategic Services, the OSS that would later become the CIA, she worked directly with the head of the OSS. She would also assist in creating a shark repellent; yes, you read that right. The sharks were getting too curious about the underwater explosives and would set them off, so a repellent was needed to keep them away. 

The job with the OSS would take her to Sri Lanka, where she would meet Paul Child in the summer of 1944. Paul was ten years older than her and a man of the world. He had lived briefly in Paris, where he painted and enjoyed the amazing food and wine, and Julia found him fascinating. Julia herself was a delight and even was awarded for her “inherent cheerfulness” in the OSS. 

The couple married on September 1, 1946, in Lumberville, Pennsylvania. The day before, they were in a minor traffic accident, and true to Julia and Paul's fashion, it didn’t stop them, even in bandages. For their first meal as man and wife, Julia, who had never really cooked before, decided to take a leap by cooking calf brains in red wine. Paul was such a love, but they both found it horrible. Luckily, her skills would vastly improve. 

In October of 1948, Paul was offered a job with the OSS in Paris, setting up the visual presentation department and building Franco-American relations. Paul was an avid photographer and an artist, so it was his perfect job. At 4:45 am on November 3, 1948, they arrived in Le Havre to begin one of the most exciting chapters of their lives. Complete with “the Blue Flash,” their Buick station wagon packed with everything they needed, they headed towards Paris. Stopping in Rouen for lunch at the Restaurant La Couronne, one of the oldest restaurants in France, dating back to 1345. At that meal, she enjoyed her first French baguette, cheese, and sole meunière, which would change her life. 

Early in the evening, they arrived in Paris and went to their apartment at 81 rue de l’Universite or Roo de Loo, as she called it. The two-floor apartment with wonderful large windows was the perfect place to start their French adventure. Filling the days was the hardest part for Julia. Playing bridge and making hats was a bore to her, and she wanted something more fulfilling. As a post-war wife who didn’t know how to cook, she enrolled in the Cordon Bleu, much to the chagrin of Madame Elisabeth Brassart. Madame Brassart enrolled her in the general class for housewives, which was not challenging for Julia, and spoke with her again. With her powers of persuasion, she convinced Mme Brassart to let her join the chef’s class taught by Max Bungard. Filled with only men, she would win them all over and begin a close friendship with Max Bugnard.

During her years at the Cordon Bleu, she joined Le Cercle des Gourmettes and met Simca Beck and Louisette Bertholle, two French women writing a French cookbook for Americans. The trio hit it off and started their small cooking school, L'école des Trois Gourmandes. Offering classes out of Julia’s kitchen for 20 francs, they immediately drew women to their classes and became a hit with the ex-pat Americans in Paris. Simca and Louisette constantly filled Julia in on their trouble with their American consultant and asked Julia to help them.. 

The project would take up all of her time, as she researched every detail and tested each recipe repeatedly. As the only English speaker, she took over all the writing. It would take almost ten years to complete the book, filled with ups and downs with publishers, moving to Marseilles, Germany, and Oslo, and finally, on October 16, 1961, Mastering the Art of French Cooking was released. 

Having returned to the US, Paul retired from the OSS and spent his days helping Julia, focusing on his art, and taking photos. Traveling around the country promoting the book, she met James Beard and Jacques Pépin, and of course, her cheerful demeanor created lifelong friendships. 

In February 1962, she was invited to appear on the WGBH show I’ve Been Reading in Boston. Given a thirty-minute spot, she had no idea how to fill the time, so she brought a copper bowl, whisk, eggs, and mushrooms. During the show, she whipped up an omelet, and the station was flooded with letters and calls asking for more. WGBH asked Julia to return for three half-hour episodes, which was the basis of The French Chef. Premiering on July 26, 1962, it ran for ten years and 191 episodes. Today, you can stream every one of them online on the PBS app. Julia appeared on 11 different TV shows and was on TV every week from 1963 to 2000. 

The Child’s hearts were always in France, and 1963, after an extended visit to Simca’s home in Plascassier, a small Provincial town near Grasse in the south of France, they were given the greatest gift. Simca and her husband offered them part of their land for their home. La Pitchoune was built and was the perfect place for the Children to escape, too, but also for Julia and Simca to work on volume two.

On October 22, 1970, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, volume two, was released after many years of work by Simca and Julia and a diligent timeline by Judith Jones. On the road, filming TV shows and writing more books kept Julia busy, and Paul was happy to follow along. 

In October of 1974, after having some health issues, Paul was diagnosed with having had a small heart attack. The years were followed by chest pains, and his brain that was getting foggier as time went on. Their love for each other was more important than any book or TV show. Paul was the ultimate support to her at a time when it was the role of a woman to stay home and raise children. 

In 1989, Paul had a series of strokes that forced his move to a nursing home. Heartbroken at the idea of being apart, no matter where she was in the world, she would call him on the phone every day at 2 pm. Paul would die on May 12, 1994, and the love of her life would be gone. 

After his death, she packed up their Cambridge home and moved to Montecito, California, where she would stay the rest of her life. In her final years, she sat down with her nephew Alex Prud’homme and her stack of many letters between Paul and his brother and wrote her final book about their years in France. My Life in France, released after her death, is a lovely stroll through their love of each other and of France. 

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On August 13, 2004, just two days before her birthday, she died of kidney failure. The night before her final meal would be a bowl of her beloved soup a l’oignon. I remember waking up that day to the news that she died and gasped and cried, and that was long before I fell in love with her. 

In 2001, Julia donated her entire Cambridge kitchen to the Smithsonian Institute, including the pegboard that organized her pots and pans and the raised counters Paul designed just for her. 

In 2009, Meryl Streep portrayed her in Julie & Julia based on her book My Life in France. The movie does a fantastic job depicting their life and love in Paris, and Meryl Streep brings her back to life. I could watch that movie, especially the Julia parts, hundreds of times. 

Julia was in her late 30s when she discovered the meaning of her life and would follow it until she took her last breath. So many of the women we talk about in the podcast lived in the shadows of their husbands and even watched them take credit for what they did. Paul Child couldn’t have loved her more and supported her to become the Julia Child who dreamed of sharing her love of France with future generations. Thank you, Paul and Julia. 

Episode 227 - Notre Dame de Paris, Two Months To Go

Today, we are just 62 days away from the reopening of the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral. On December 8, 2024, after five years and seven and a half months, the center door of the facade of Notre Dame will swing open. 

The cathedral saw a renaissance and returned to the Notre Dame of 1860. While the current head architect, Philippe Villeneuve, has taken on the massive task of managing the project, the architect of the 19th century is speaking the loudest. 

In 1844, Eugène Viollet le Duc and Jean Baptiste Lassus began restoring Notre Dame after many years of neglect. At one point, Paris tried to sell the cathedral stone by stone, although there were no takers. Under Napoleon III and with the help of Victor Hugo’s book Notre Dame de Paris, the public and faithful called for a restoration of the cathedral. 

For twenty years, Viollet le Duc added gargoyles, replaced the spire and lead roof, and repainted the interior, among other things. Today, the entire team follows Viollet le Duc as their guiding light. When the cathedral reopens, we will step back in time one hundred sixty years and to the church that Viollet restored. The role of any restorer, whether a painting, sculptor, or Notre Dame, is to bring back the work’s original intent. They are merely just a chapter in the story of the monument. 

The work site changes daily, and it’s so exciting to visit and find more of the building visible and scaffolding being removed. On April 15, 2019, after the fire engulfed the roof, it headed to the belfry of the north tower. There were just under thirty minutes to save the entire building. If the fire tore through the wooden belfry, the eight bells weighing more than fourteen tons would fall through the tower and take the entire facade with it.  

Luckily, the amazing firemen and women of Paris jumped into action and stopped the fire just in time. Two of the eight bells were damaged but were easily restored. On September 12, the eight bells of the north tower returned and, just this last week, were hung once again in the partially rebuilt belfry after being blessed by Bishop Olivier Dumas. 

Check out the episode we did last year, which was all about the Bells of Notre Dame.

Did you know there are 21 bells inside Notre Dame? In the North tower, there are eight; in the South, there are two, Emmanuel and Marie. Seven will return to the lower parts of the spire, and 4 in the transept attached to the four clocks on the roof of the transept and ring from 8 am to 9 pm. 

When we once again enter the cathedral, there will be a few changes. The entrance has changed from the south entrance of Sainte Anne to the central door of the Last Judgment. The visitor path begins on the north side and will focus on contemplating the biblical history of salvation. 

Every inch of the interior has been cleaned and restored. The twenty-four chapels have been touched up, and every detail created by Viollet le Duc has returned to its technicolor splendor.  While the chapel walls will remain the same, each chapel’s framed paintings and names have changed. More on that another day. 

The restoration and renaissance of Notre Dame have involved more than just the roof and walls. When the Portail du Jugement Dernier opens, the cathedral will be state-of-the-art in fire suppression, sprinklers, ventilation, and security. A new control center was created under the transept, and more than 125 miles of fireproof cables were installed that could withstand up to 1000 degrees of heat. Special air sensors will take in air and constantly test it for even the smallest abnormalities. 

Shortly after the fire, it was voted that the cathedral would return exactly how it was before the fire. Another decision was made that whatever was inside on April 14, 2019, must also return. This only referred to the art, as the furniture has all been updated. New liturgical furniture designed by Guillaume Bardet and made in bronze will grace the altar and holy water fonts. Sleek chairs will fill the nave by Ionna Vautrin with a low profile and can be used to rest the faithful’s elbows when they kneel to pray. One more piece that will be significant is Sylvain Dubuisson’s new reliquary for the Crown of Thorns. 

Listen to this week’s new episode of the podcast to hear ever more on the restoration of Notre Dame with just two months to go. And if you missed the last YouTube video walk around the Cathedral, check it out here.

Episode 226 - Victorine Meurent

Out today, another story of one of the most amazing women in French history. Victorine Meurent was born in Paris on February 18. 1844, and from an early age, she was drawn to art. In 1862, Edouard Manet walked into Thomas Couture’s studio and met a young girl. On this day, Victorine-Louis Meurent was in Couture’s studio when Manet arrived. She was just 16, had red hair, and was nicknamed La Crevette. She would become the muse for some of the biggest artists then. He would paint her for the first time in The Street Singer, with her piercing eyes that we would know so well in two of his most famous and controversial paintings.  Victorine would sit for him 8 or 9 times. 

Many may know her name because of one fantastic painting, Olympia. The painting rocked the Salon of 1863 with its suggestive subject of the courtesan lying naked on her bed while her servant brings her flowers from one of her admirers. Given the name Olympia, a name associated with prostitutes and the many small elements that hint at her wealth, many of which transferred over to the model herself. Victorine was nothing close to the woman in the painting; born to a well-established artistic family, she would become an artist and present her work at the Salon in 1870. 

However, we know her Manet paintings so well. The other most famous painting may or may not even be her. In 1862, when Manet painted Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe, another painting that would shock the art world, he may have used her as the model, but it is more likely that he used his lover Suzanne Leenhoff. However, in the end, he would use the face of Victorine to conceal the woman he was in a secret relationship with.

She would sit for him for the last time in 1873 for The Railway before they parted ways. In her own art classes, she preferred the academic style, and Manet never liked being defined by any style. 

Sadly, only two of her paintings remain at the museum in Colombes. Other than Berthe Morisot and Suzanne Valadon, Victorine is a beautiful face we know so well from Manet's brush. Listen to the entire story on the podcast; the link is in the bio.

Le Briquet, by Victorine Meurent

Episode 225 - Suzanne Valadon

Suzanne Valadon, at a very young age, worked as a model for some of the biggest French painters of the 19th C.. Meeting them on the streets of Montmartre, she would sit for Henner, Steinlen, and Toulouse-Lautrec. However, her most famous collaboration may have been with Renoir. In Danse a la Ville and Danse a Bougival, painted in 1883, Renoir used her as his model, depicting very different scenes. Valadon in La Ville is elegant and controlled, but in Bougival, she is distant; her partner looks to be trying to get her attention. Renoir loved working with her, and Toulouse-Lautrec loved working with her.

While she posed, she soaked up the techniques of each of these masters, storing them away in her mind until she picked up her own paintbrush just as she turned 30. Degas came into her life and admired her paintings and her style, encouraging her to continue and buy her paintings to 

hang in his home. 

Suzanne’s relationships are many and have overshadowed her talent for years. Marriages and a son who never knew who his father was and had a host of his own issues. Suzanne attempted suicide and alienated her biggest supporter, Degas, but still managed to cut out a life for herself. 

Today, you can still see Suzanne in Paris hanging on the Orsay and the Pompidou walls. Renoir’s Danse à la Campagne and Danse à la Ville, two of the three series, are in the Orsay. Suzanne modeled all three, but his lover Aline Charigot’s jealousy and scraping at the painting forced Renoir to change the model for la Ville to Charigot. 

Suzanne’s paintings and drawings can be found in the Pompidou. However, if you want a personal view of her life, head to the Musée de Montmartre. Her former studio and apartment are part of the museum. Walk into her studio, where her former easels, chairs, and art fills the space with its huge windows. 

Her son Maurice Utrillo spent more time as a child with her mother and would become a painter himself. He would create beautiful images when he applied himself between bouts of drinking. Suzanne would lock him into her studio, forcing him to paint. She died on April 7, 1938, and today, his paintings are remembered more than hers, but she should be recognized for all she did, even when battling her many demons.

Episode 224 - Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun

Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun is mostly known as the official painter of Queen Marie Antoinette.  

Born on April 16, 1755, in Paris on Rue Coquillière, her father, Louis Vigèe, was an artist who began teaching her to paint at a very young age. Elisabeth was just twelve years old when her father died after swallowing a fish bone. Her mother, Jeanne, remarried quickly to jeweler Jacques-François Le Sèvre, moving the family to Rue Saint-Honoré. Elisabeth wasn’t fond of her new stepfather and missed her father dearly. 

After her father's death, she began to train under Gabriel Briard, who had an atelier in the Louvre. During the day, she would train and be surrounded by the Dutch masters. Women had many restrictions at the time, and the only way to work with other artists, male or female, as a copy mix and mingle was within the walls of the Louvre. 

In 1770, at just 15 years old, she finished her first portrait of her mother. Wanting to extend her education, she enrolled in the Academy of Saint-Luc, one of the only schools that took women students. In no time, her portraits became very popular and were sought out by the upper class of Paris at just 17 years old. Her stepfather had other ideas, such as his personal piggy bank, and saw you taking all the money she made. 

Another move in 1775 took them to Rue de Cléry and to new neighbor Jean-Baptiste Le Brun, the great-nephew of French painter and man behind Versailles Charles Le Brun. Jean-Baptiste might have already been married in Holland, but that didn’t stop him from asking Elisabeth to marry him. She wasn’t in love with him, but she wanted to get away from her stepfather.  On January 11, 1776, they were married in the Église Saint Eustache. 

The same year, the Count de Provence, future Louis XVIII, commissioned her for a portrait; it was her entry into the Court of Versailles, and there was no turning back. Marie Antoinette saw her painting and loved her flattering female touch. Painting Marie Antoinette more than thirty times, but it was one portrait that would make her a household name. 

At the Salon of 1793, she entered a painting of the queen in a white muslin dress. Seeing the queen in essentially her underwear shocked everyone. Elisabeth was forced to remove the painting and replace it with a new version, this time in a blue-grey satin dress. It has become the most often-used image of the queen since. 

It wasn’t the first time she caused a stir in the artistic world. In 1786,elf-portrait hol she painted a sding her daughter Julie. The classic Madonna and Child was an often-seen subject, but this one was a bit different. Elisabeth painted her mouth slightly open and, God forbid, smiling. People were outraged, and today, it is known as one of the very first smiles in Western art.

In 1789, while at the Chateau de Louveciennes with Madame du Barry, the Sans-Culottes arrived and destroyed all her paintings. It was the start of the Revolution, and anyone associated with the crown was threatened with death. With her daughter Julie, born in 1780, they fled France for Italy while her husband remained in Paris. In Florence and Rome, she met other exiled artists and continued to paint. 

She could not return to France as her name was on the list of more than 140,000 French citizens wanted for their ties to royalty. Elisabeth and Julie stayed in Italy, at the same time sending paintings back to Paris as they were finished. Back in Paris, her husband was working as an appraiser of the royal collections that were being seized and was also able to keep an eye on his wife's paintings that were being pulled from view and did all he could to have her name removed from the list so she could return. 

On January 18, 1801, she was finally allowed to return and traveled with her old friend, the Count de Provence, now Louis XVIII, who was avoiding France and staying in London and Switzerland. Constantly reinventing herself and nibbling between sides 1805, she painted Napoleon’s sister, Caroline Murat, in Napoleon's good graces, which put her i. 

In 1809, she purchased a house outside of Paris in Louveciennes, hosted Salons, and continued to paint. In 1815, Louis XVIII took the throne in Paris and worked to restore the image of his brother Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Louis XVIII allowed Elisabeth’s portraits of the royal family to return to the walls of the Musée du Louvre, Versailles, and Fontainebleau, where they remain to this day. 

A long-awaited divorce from her husband came in 1813, and in 1819, her estranged daughter Julie died. As everyone died around her, she wrote her three-volume memoir until she lost her sight due to a brain tumor, which took her life on March 30, 1842, on Rue Saint-Lazare. 

Elisabeth's legacy is largely defined by her iconic portraits of Marie Antoinette, a testament to her ability to immortalize historical figures. However, her artistic prowess extended beyond this, as she also created numerous other captivating images, including the portrait of Hubert Robert. Of her 900 paintings, 660 were portraits, each a unique reflection of her subjects, and are now displayed in collections across the globe. 

Episode 223 - Olympe de Gouges

There are always a few women in history that are remembered for shaking things up a bit. Olympe de Gouges is definitely one of them and she did it back in the 18th century. 

Born May 7, 1748 in Montauban, Marie-Olympe Mouisset wasn’t sure who her father was. At 17 in 1765 she married Louis-Yves Aubrey de Gourges. The next year son Pierre was born and just two years after their marriage her husband was swept away in a flood. 

In 1770, she moved to Paris with her sister and became the belle of the Paris Salons. Jacques Biétrix de Rozières, a director of a military transport company, wanted to marry the lovely Olympe. Still, she knew she had more freedom as a writer and widow than married. 

Olympe began speaking up through her words and on the stage, creating her own theater company of women to perform her plays. Her first play was Zamore et Mirza, a story of slavery in the colonies that never took the stage. It was 1784, and the Comedie Francaise received death threats. The controversial play would have to wait but still send her to the Bastille. 

One play after another spoke out against women’s rights and those who couldn’t and would all lead her to her biggest accomplishment. As the Revolution neared, she supported the monarchy until the day Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette tried to escape. She had hoped MA would support the rights of women, including the freedom of speech, voting, and running for office. The Rights of Men was published in August of 1789, and two years later, Olympe would publish her own version.

The Declaration of the Rights of Women and of the Female Citizen was made public, 1791. The 17 articles were reimagined, and many were the same as the men's, just changed on September 14 gender. 

Of course, this didn’t sit well with Robespierre, who had her arrested on July 20, 1793. Five days later, she was charged with “writing works contrary to the wants and needs of the people.”  A trial followed in October, but the end was laid out long before. On November 4, 1793, she walked the scaffolding to her death by guillotine. She would be a symbol for centuries as the woman who stood up for so many and laid the path for equality.

EPisode 222 - Madame de Maintenon

Madame de Maintenon started out as Françoise d’Aubigné on November 27, 1635. Her father Constant d’Aubigne was sent to prison for gambling, killing a man in a duel, abducting a woman, counterfeiting and trying to start a rebellion against the king. While in prison, he met and married Jeanne de Cadillac, daughter of the prison director, and they had three children. Just after her birth, she was sent to live with her aunt Madame de Villette at the Château de Mursay nearby, after all a cold drafty prison wasn’t the place to raise a child.

Yes, it sounds like a Lifetime movie of the week and begs so many questions. In 1642, after Cardinal Richelieu died and Jeanne was able to convince her father to release him, the family headed for Ile Marie Galante. Constant was always after a fast buck, blew through Jeanne’s dowry, and cultivated one scheme after another. Once on the island, he abandoned his family, forcing Jeanne and her three kids to return to Paris. 

Times were tough for the family, and they were forced to beg for food on the street. Once again, her aunt stepped in and saved the family. Madame de Villette was raising the children as Protestant, and her godmother, Suzanne de Baudéan, was not having any of that and took her away. She was taken to live at the Ursuline convent on Rue Crémeaux in 1649, followed by the Ursuline convent on Rue Saint Jacques. Françoise didn’t take to convent life and had a difficult time until she became close with Sister Celeste, who looked after her and created a tight bond. 

On weekends, her godmother would take her to visit the salons and parties in Paris, where she would meet many authors, artists, and women from the court. On one visit, she met poet Paul Scarron, who was twenty-five years older than her and was suffering from Polio. They shared many letters until he asked for her hand, and they married on April 4, 1652. Due to his health, the eight short years of their marriage were spent taking care of him and lengthy talks about literature. Sadly, he passed away in 1660, and Françoise was left brokenhearted. 

Her godmother worked for Queen Anne d’Autriche and was able to convince her to continue Paul’s pension for the widowed Françoise, which would last until Anne died in 1666. Louis XIV wouldn’t agree to continue the payments, which left Françoise in need of making a large change in her life. 

After the support of friends ran out, she was about to move to Portugal to become the lady in waiting for the new queen, Marie-Françoise de Nemours, until Madame de Montespan stepped in. In a past episode, we talked about Louis XIV's mistress and her strange and terrifying life. The two women met at the Salon in the Marais, including the popular Salon held by Ninon de l'Enclos, who we have also covered in an earlier episode.  

In 1669, Montespan gave birth to the first of many illegitimate children of Louis XIV and then needed a place to go, away from the eyes of the court. Louis XIV purchased a hotel, particulier on the rue de Vaugirard, to hide the children. Montespan convinced Louis that Françoise would be a perfect caretaker to look after the children. Françoise loved them like they were her own and was involved in every aspect of their raising, even convincing Louis to make the children legitimate. He was not impressed with her at first; he thought she was a bit bossy and a little rough around the edges. 

He would change his tune after he had the children legitimized, and they all moved to Saint Germain en Laye, where she became the court governess. As a sign of appreciation for all she had done, Louis gave her a very large gift, allowing her to purchase the Chateau de Maintenon in 1675. At the same time, Louis purchased the title, and she became known as the Marquis de Maintenon. Meanwhile, her old friend Montespan was worried about the closeness between the king and the governess. 

In 1680, the Affair of the Poisons swept through court and Montespan’s reign was over and she was swiftly removed from court. Louis XIV became closer to Maintenon but she pushed him away from anything romantic or physical. The two became very close and he looked to her for guidance in every manner of the court and state upsetting his fellow ministers. 

A very devout catholic, she saw her role as saving Louis in the eyes of the church, while the rest of the court saw her as manipulative. On July 30, 1683, the queen died, and a few months later, on October 9, Louis and Montespan were married in a secret ceremony. Performed by the Archbishop of Paris François de Harlay de Champvalon and the king's confessor, Pére de la Chaise, behind the closed door of the king’s bedroom. The marriage was a morganatic one, which means she could not be recognized as queen or even be known as his official wife. 

They spent the majority of their time together in his bedroom, making state decisions and even taking meetings. The two joined forces in creating the Maison Royale de Saint-Louis in Rueil, a school for children of noble families, many of which had lost a parent to the many French conflicts. Recalling her days at the convent, she wanted to create a curriculum that would truly teach children, especially young women. 

As Louis got older, he worried his past romantic endeavors would not sit well with God, and he hoped his love of Maintenon would save him in the eyes of the church. Towards the end of his life, on August 30, 1715, Françoise was told there was little they could do for him, and he told her to leave. She retreated to her school, which was now located in nearby Saint-Cyr. 

The school was later moved closer to Versailles to Saint-Cyr, and she was there surrounded by children when she got the news of his death on September 1, 1715. She lived out the rest of her life there and would still take visitors, including Peter the Great, who came to seek her council, but noticing how quickly she had aged in the last few years.

On April 15, 1719, she died at 83 years old and was buried at Saint-Cyr, where she would remain until the Revolution. After World War II she was located and moved briefly to the Chapel of Versailles until 1969, when she was once again returned to Saint-Cyr, which was now a military school created by Napoleon.

Episode 221 - Hemingway and the Liberation of Paris

Hemingway was staying in the city of Rambouillet, 27 miles SW of Paris, with his makeshift troop of men, which was composed of Americans and FFI soldiers. As the days to the Liberation of Paris got closer, he wanted to head back to the center of the action and celebration. A convoy of soldiers, including Hem, headed towards the City of Light. 

Just after Noon, Hemingway and his band of men crossed into Paris over the Seine at the Pont de Sèvres. It was August 25. 1944, and the drive into the city was filled with people standing along the road cheering the soldiers as they passed by. His first stop was to see a dear friend, Sylia Beach. Living at 18 Rue de l’Odeon, Hemingway came barreling down the street, yelling out her name. Sylvia ran down the street, brought her dear friend upstairs to the 4th floor, and wondered what he could do for her.  Sylvia and Adrienne asked him if he could remove the Germains still firing from the roofs of the Odeon.  Hemingway returned to his liberated Mercedes, grabbed some men and guns, and returned to the roof of her building. Gunfire was heard for a few minutes, and then total silence; Odeon was liberated, and the nightmare was over. 

The story of where he went next is a story many “think” they know. 

As the story goes, Hem wanted to be the first American to liberate the Ritz and asked General Leclerc for men and weapons. Leclerc told him to “buzz off,” but he wasn’t to be deterred. With his driver, Sergeant Red Pelky, and a handful of soldiers and journalists, they swung into the door of the Ritz. With machine guns in hand, he saw manager Claude Auzello and asked where the Germans were. “Monsieur, they left long ago”. He invited them in but had to leave the machine guns in the Mercedes.  

Hem and his men marched into the Ritz Bar and instructed the barman to make them the Montgomery Martini: 17 parts Gin, 1 part Vermouth, which is how British Marshal Montgomery liked to face his Germans: 17 men to 1 German. Everyone tells the story that Hem himself drank 51 of these alone. In fact, his entire party drank them together. The Bar Hemingway was named in 1994 in the space that was the former ladies’ bar.

Listen to the full episode of Hemingway in the Liberation of Paris and other myths here

Episode 221 - Women of the Resistance

On this week's new episode of Paris History Avec a Hemingway on La Vie Creative Podcast we share the stories of a few of the bravest women in French history. During WWII many women stood up to fight for France in any way they could and for many years they were left far from the pages of history.

Marie Madeleine Fourcade, born November 8, 1909, followed the path of most young girls. Attending the Couvent des Oiseaux, where all good girls went to become the perfect wife. At 18 she married Colonel Méric and five children quickly followed. Being a wife and mother was not all she hoped and dreamed it would be and became a journalist at first for the Vichy papers. When she realized what was truly behind the far-right movement she moved into the Resistance. 

In 1939 she met George Loustaunau-Lacau, a high-ranking official and friend of Charles De Gaulle, and became his chief of staff of the Alliance Resistance.  By 1940 they had to go underground. Marie would become the head of the Alliance and recruited over 1500 people to serve in the network as pilots, curriers, and radio operators. Known as Hedgehog, she was fearless and faced death every day. When the Germans figured out who she was and found her in a chateau and arrived to arrest her, she convinced them she needed to take a bath first. When the officers went outside to smoke she slipped out the door and made her way to Lyon. 

Arrested in November 1942 she was able to escape on the way to the Castres prison thanks to a few compliant officers. With each attack on the Alliance, she would constantly rebuild the network time after time. Highly decorated after the war she would live a long life until 1989. 

Cécile-Rol-Tanguy was born on April 10, 1919, in Royan to activist parents. During the start of WWII, she was a  “godmother of war”, essentially a pen pal, to a young soldier named Henri Tanguy.  The two finally met face-to-face and were married on April 19, 1939. In 1940 they moved to Paris and began working underground for the Resistance. She strolled through checkpoints with her baby stroller that could be filled with guns, money, and grenades. Changing her name and paper she was always one step ahead of the Germans. 

When the war ended and de Gaulle arrived in Paris and marched down the Champs Élysées he held a reception in the Hotel de Ville. Cécile was the only woman in attendance and this was only because of her husband. After WWII she was a Friend of the Fighting Spanish and when Francois Holland wanted to award her for her bravery she declined, at first. Eventually, she decided she would accept it but only on behalf of all of the women who had fought in the resistance.

After the war, she and Henri continued their commitment to the fight against fascism. With her daughter she led Les Amis des combattants de l'Espagne république and lived to the age of 101. 

Simone Segouin could be the most recognized of the ladies of the Resistance. Her father worked in the Resistance as well as in the local government. She was just 16 years old and dared to blow up bridges, lay traps, and damage German villages. In Chartres, she stole a bicycle, repainted it, and spent a year riding all over the Loire delivering messages.  On August 23, 1944, she took part in the Liberation of Chartres and two days later arrived in Paris for the big fight, the Liberation of Paris. It was on the streets of Paris that her most famous image was shot. A young girl standing against a wall holding a large German machine gun taken from a soldier. 

This moment was captured on film by photographer Jack Belden and was featured in Life Magazine making her the most famous image of the Resistance. After the war, she became a nurse, had six children, and never married. When she was offered the Legion of Honor award and at first refused but was later accepted in 2021. Simone lived to be 97 years old on February 21, 2023

Such amazing acts of bravery throughout France that we can honor 80 years later. 

Listen to the full story and a few other ladies in this week’s episode out now

Episode 220 - Notre Dame de Paris with Less than 4 Months to go

In less than four months we will once again walk inside the Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris and I can’t wait!

For the last five years more than 2000 craftsmen have been working six days a week to rebuild and restore the Cathedral. When the doors reopen on December 8 it will return to how it looked exactly 160 years ago.  

Eugène Violett-le-Duc took over the restoration of the cathedral in 1844 after Victor Hugo’s Notre Dame de Paris novel spurred interest in the once grand sanctuary that was crumbling.  For twenty years he rebuilt the spire, replaced the statuary, returned stained glass windows to the walls, and added elements we love today. 

The current head architect Philippe Villeneuve’s role is to bring back the former glory and respect of the architects of the past. I love that future generations will talk about Villeneuve the way we have talked about Viollet-le-Duc. Well maybe not exactly like me, since I love both of them deeply. 

In the last few months, the worksite has rapidly changed. The silhouette has returned with the beautiful decorative ridge designed by Viollet-le-Duc. 2700 sheets of lead created and shaped in England have covered the roof.  The spire is almost finished with just the lower open work waiting for its lead covering and in the next few months, the 16 statues will crown the edges and once again guard the spire. 

The roof of the eastern end of the building over the choir apse marks the final point and return of the silhouette of the beloved cathedral. Made up of more than twenty sections of trapezoid-shaped lead sheets, the last sheet was installed on the 24th of July. Ornamental roofers added the ceremonial bouquet of flowers marking the completion. 

Just above, is one of the most special of all pieces and the only thing that outlived the night of April 15, 2019.  In 1860 Violett-le-Duc designed an iron cross that was covered with more than a hundred details. I arrived in Paris just four days after the fire and as I walked around the island I noticed the cross teetering on the edge of the roof near the north transept. Luckily it was rescued and restorers have spent more than 1000 hours cleaning, restoring, and gilding the cross in the atelier of Florent Boutroy. The 42-foot-tall cross was installed on May 24, exactly two months before the roof was finished. 

On the night of the fire, as the spire fell and the roof disappeared the next fear was the 12th & 13th century rose windows. The small oculus opening over the grand rose saw flames raging through the window, but luckily the rose below was left unscathed. The same was true on the south side. 

The transept crossing on the north and south sides is fully revealed, giving us a glimpse at the 13th-century rose windows untouched by the fire. At the top of each pignon that has been mostly rebuilt and restored where possible craftsmen and at times the skinniest they had worked around the clock to recreate the design of Viollet-le-Duc. Encased in scaffolding as the design elements of the turrets were added the space became so tight that the smallest of restorers were called in to add the last details. A total of 272 hooks, 14 chimeras, and 16 gargoyles on the north were created, and 192 hooks and 12 chimeras and gargoyles on the south. 

Crowning the top of the pignons are statues copied directly from the original 19th century versions. On the south Saint Etienne, dedicated to the first church on this very spot. Saint Marcel, 9th bishop and protector of Sainte Genevieve, both were too damaged to be saved and were recreated from original plans.  Original to the 19th century, at the top of the south is a statue of Christ and on the north side is Saint Denis, the first bishop of Paris who looks north to his final resting place at the Basilique Saint Denis. 

Before they are fully revealed a patina was added so they will eventually blend with the rest of the exterior. I can’t wait to be back inside and once again look up at the beautiful windows. 

When you stand just below the grand facade of Notre Dame the two towers stretch to the sky in front of us and hard to believe how close we were to losing the entire church. That night as the flames devoured the roof the fire inched its way to the north bell tower. We later learned that there was a twenty-minute window to either control the fire or watch the total destruction of the cathedral. 

The towers hold the very heavy bells that ring out over the city on special occasions. In the north bell tower are 8 bells that are held in a tall wooden belfry. Supporting the bells they also help absorb any vibration that could damage the stone. That night the flames did reach the belfry and forever thankful to the pompiers of Paris they were able to extinguish the flames and halt any more damage. 

Inspecting the belfry resulted in a few new beams or grafting new pieces. Before completion, a jack will raise the 150-ton belfry 11 inches to replace the three large pieces of wood. Two of the bells suffered from some heat and fire damage and are being restored along with the remaining six. They will return to the newly restored belfry in a few months. 

Coming soon on the podcast we will share details on the interior and the new features added for the opening in December. 

Episode 219 - Inside the Art of the Opening Ceremonies

On July 26 the Paris 2024 Olympics opened with the ceremonial lighting of the cauldron. Since April the Olympic flames traveled from Greece through just about every corner of France and even to French territories in the middle of the ocean. 

Let’s look at a few of the moments of the Opening Ceremonies that are tied to art and what have garnered a lot of internet attention. 

To start the masked torch bearer that ran through the city. Many think he was a character from Assassin’s Creed and it partially is but also he was a character dreamed up using the Man in the Iron Mask, Phantom of the Opera, Fantomas, Arsène Lupin, and Belphégor  who haunts the Louvre.  

Belphégor is the legend of the ghost that haunts the Egyptian collection every night and is the subject of a popular book from 1927, and a TV show in France in 1965. In the 2001 movie starring Sophie Marceau, it is an evil forgotten mummy found in the reserves of the Louvre and causes all sorts of problems.  

Racing down the Seine before the final run of the torch was a gorgeous silver horse that took over a year to create and was controlled by a submarine-like boat under the water. This stunning figure represents Sequana, the Celtic Goddess of the Seine. Nothing more, nothing less.  I did love when she walked the flag towards the officials in the Trocadero lighted wings of victory perfectly framed her under the Eiffel Tower. 

One of the closely kept secrets was who would light the cauldron and the cauldron itself. Many months ago they told us it would be in the Jardin des Tuileries in front of the Louvre but what it would be was something we could not have imagined. 

Mathieu Lehanneur designed the torch and the cauldron and created something that will be hard to ever top. A hot air balloon with a very special nod to history sits over a 23-foot-diameter ring of fire. However, it’s not the fire you think. It was created by EDF and is made of beams of LED  light and a mist of water and is 100% renewable. 

Why a balloon you ask? Well, this is Paris and nothing happens by chance. The patrimoine, or heritage is taken very seriously here and the balloon is a nod to an event that happened on December 1, 1793. Professor Jacques Charles created a hydrogen balloon and on that date from close to the very spot the balloon sits today Charles and Nicolas Robert took off from the ground and floated 27 miles while more than 400,000 people watched along with Benjamin Franklin. Aghast at the sight of flight just over their heads. 

On the south wall near the entrance to the garden near the Place de la Concorde is a plaque remembering this event that few ever notice. I have a feeling more people may spot it now, or maybe that’s just a hopeful wish. 

At the time there was a race between Charles and the Montgolfier brothers. On September 19 the brothers sent a duck, sheep, and a rooster into the air while Louis XVI & Marie-Antoinette watched at Versailles. The animals survived the flight but the duck’s beak was broken when the sheep sat on it in the descent. The sheep went on to live out their final days in the hamlet of Marie Antoinette.

On November 21 the brothers set off the first manned balloon flight from the Chateau de la Muette and flew over the Tuileries reaching its highest point before coming down on the Butte-aux-Cailles  On the flight were the first two French astronauts, the Marquis d’Arlandes and Jean-Francois Pilâtre de Rozier. Just two years later Rozier died while trying to cross over the English channel. 

The balloon sits over the eastern basin of the Tuileries which also happens to line up with the Axis Historique. The special line drafted by Alexandre Le Notre in the 18th century lines up the Bernini statue of Louis XIV near the Pyramid of the Louvre and a straight line through the Arc du Triomphe du Carrousel, the Cauldron, the Obelisk, Arc du Triomphe, and out to the Arc of La Défense

This was not an accident.

As for the Cauldron, each night from sunset to 2 am it will rise again 197 feet or more than 18 stories into the air. The artist is also mounting a campaign to keep the balloon and cauldron in the Tuileries full-time.

Meanwhile, inside the Louvre the characters of paintings have jumped out to watch the athletes pass by on the Seine. Although they have them looking into the Cour Carrée and not the Seine. 

During the ceremony, a few heads were spotted in the Seine just past the Louvre. Not just any figures, they belong to some amazing paintings you can find inside the Louvre.

Starting from the Pont Royal is the stunning Madeline by Marie-Guilhelmine Benoist. The actual title of the piece is A Portrait of a Black Woman. Painted in 1800 it changed the landscape of art. Madeleine was a beautiful black woman who came from Guadalupe when Marie met her. Using the classic pose that she learned under J L David she placed Madeleine on a winged chair and draped her in white fabric with a touch of blue and red in the Empire style and suddenly transformed how black models were seen. 

Marie Guillemine de Laville-Leroux Benoist is a mostly unknown artist. Born December 18, 1768, in Paris into a political family which would help her enter into one of the most prestigious ateliers in Paris. 

At just 13 years old she began training with Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun who was the First Painter to Marie Antoinette. Her talent was noticed and in 1784 she exhibited for the first time at the Salon a painting of her father. The 18th century wasn’t kind to female painters but under the lead of Le Brun, she was able to traverse the art world and get noticed by a few of the biggest names. 

In 1788, Marie was asked by Jacques Louis David to join his atelier. The king of the Neoclassical movement was happy to take women in as a way to get back at King Louis XVI who forbade women artists to train in the Louvre. At the time David lived and had his studio in the Louvre. Most women were relegated to painting flowers & landscapes, but David suggested she try her hand at historic subjects. 

In 1800 she created a painting that changed the landscape of art. After a visit to her brother-in-law's home, she met Madeleine and decided to paint a subject that was rarely seen in art at the time. Madeleine was a beautiful black woman who came from Guadalupe when Marie met her. Using the classic pose that she learned under David she placed Madeleine on a winged chair and draped her in white fabric in the Empire style and suddenly transformed how black models were seen. 

The model was unknown until a  few years ago before an exhibit at the Orsay unveiled her name. On June 27, 1818, the Director of the Maison du Roi purchased the painting with three of her other paintings. Under Louis XVIII the painting was sent to the Louvre. I wish she was somewhere where more people could discover her but until that day, be sure to search for her when you visit the Louvre. 

The next woman is featured in George de La Tours The Cheater with the Ace of Cards painted in 1636. Three grifters work together to steal the money of a rich young man by hiding an ace behind one of their backs. Our lady in the Seine is the Courtesan with a red hat decorated with an ostrich feather and pear drop earrings. The pearls are a giveaway that she is a prostitute

And you thought pearls were so classy.

Next, we have Muhammad Qasim’s Portrait of Shah Abbas Ier drawn in 1627. Sadly not on display in the Louvre at this time. The drawing is of the Shah and his page boy who clutches a wine flask near the elder’s lap. I’ll let you figure out that symbolism. On the painting is a quote: 

“May life provide all that you desire from three lips: those of your lover, the river, and the cup.” rather fitting on the banks of the Seine. 

My other favorite painting that is sure to always catch the visitor’s eye is the presumed portrait of Gabrielle d’Estrées and her sister the Duchess of Villars. There is still a lot that is unknown about this painting, including that of the subject and the artist. Attributed to the Fontainebleau School in 1594, it is believed to be Gabrielle and her sister, the Duchess of Villars who held her nipple between her fingers, which was a gesture symbolizing pregnancy. Gabrielle would have been five months pregnant with the future Duke of Vendome, Henri IV’s illegitimate son. In Gabrielle’s left hand, she holds a ring between her fingers, the coronation ring of Henri– a token of his love and loyalty. In the background sits a woman sewing, could it be baby clothes? 

Gabrielle d’Estrées is a woman known more for her risque painting than for her life itself. Gabrielle was born around 1573, and daughter of Antoine d’Estrées, Baron de Boulonnois and Françoise de la Bourdaisieres. She was one of eleven children, seven of which were girls, and gave them the moniker “seven deadly sins” by the Marquis de Sevigné.

The union of Gabriele and Henri resulted in three children. Caesar in 1594, Catherine in 1596, and Alexandre in 1598. All three were legitimized in the eyes of the monarchy and the church as Henri’s children. In 1599 she became pregnant again. Each of her pregnancies was very easy, but this fourth was giving her a lot of issues. Sick every day she struggled for five months. 

On April 6, 1599, she left Henri behind at Fontainebleau, it was just a few days before their wedding planned for April 11, Easter. She cried and sobbed and had to be pulled off of him, on what would be the last time she saw her love. On April 7 she dined with Sebastion Zamet, an  Italian who had arrived in France with Catherine de Medici and was also close with Marie de Medici. That night at dinner when she said she wasn’t feeling well, Zamet gave her a frosted lemon. The next day she began having contractions and pains, she was only 5 months along. 

The baby had already died and doctors tried to figure out what to do as she got worse. After a day her face and neck suddenly turned black leaving the doctors baffled. When word finally reached Henri at Fontainebleau he travelled to Paris as fast as he could but it would be too late. On April 10, at just 26 years old Gabrielle would die, the day before their intended wedding. 

Distraught, Henri planned a lavish funeral at the Eglise Saint Germain l’Auxerrois fit for a queen. Henri dressed in black for months, shocking most as white was the normal color for royals in mourning. A lifelike effigy was created and placed in the room next to his where he would sit with her and eat his meals. 

Less than a year later Henri would marry Marie de Medici. 

There has been a lot of news about one moment in the Olympics. Held on the Passerelle Debilly a fashion catwalk of performers that flashed across the TV screens in between the athlete parade. 

The day after the internet was a flutter in responses thinking it was a reenactment of the Last Supper by da Vinci. A few things first. The Last Supper resides in Milan and while many armchair internet art historians think they have it figured out most are very far from the truth. 

Art has a long history of shocking people. Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’herbe and Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People are two of the most famous that caused a stir by mixing Greek statuary with contemporary figures. 

Just because a painting is a large group of people at a table it doesn’t mean it is the Last Supper. In the Louvre you can find the largest painting in the collection, Veronese’s Wedding Feast of Cana, and in the Orsay, we have Thomas Couture  Roman Decadence better known as the Roman Orgy.  Both are at a large table. I overhear people all the time thinking the Vernose painting is the Last Supper.  You can also find the Last Supper in the Louvre by French and Northern School painters as well. 

Especially within the Northern School steps from the Medicis gallery are two paintings dedicated to the  Feast of the Gods and the Wedding Feast of Thétis et de Pélée.   Around a table are the many gods including Mercury, the Three Graces, Neptune, Apollo, and the Muses of Zeus, Athena, Mars, and Bacchus. Bacchus is normally depicted with a crown of grapes vines as he is the god of Wine and pleasure. This is the Olympics that originated in Greece where a very deep tie to mythological figure

At the start of the scene at the opening ceremony,  Festivité flashed across the screen. Which tells you everything. 

France loves a celebration and every day you are to slow down and enjoy your cafe or dinner with friends and loved ones enjoying amazing food, wine, and conversation. All one needs to do is walk the streets of Paris every single night of the year and see that for yourself. 

The creators of the opening ceremonies wanted to avoid the Paris Cliché that has been created and regurgitated for decades. Paris is not Emily. It is not red berets and khaki trenchcoats and it is not mimes. They wanted to teach the world what Paris is and its history and culture. 

Most of my wonderful clients who book tours with me are already knowledgeable in French history and art. I love touring people across the cobblestones of Paris and talking with them about what they know of Monet or Delacroix when I share with them addresses where they once lived. 

If anything what the controversy has shown us is that the world is becoming more uneducated. A combination of shorter attention spans,  getting all their information from sources that are not always correct, and also taking art education out of schools has led us to this point and I for one, find it quite sad. 

So we are forever grateful for our listeners and followers who always have a thirst for knowledge of all things creative and France. 

Episode 218 - The Apartments of Napoleon III Part Two

Last week we gave you the back story on the creation of the beautiful rooms of the former Ministries of State and Finance, aka Apartments of Napoleon III in the Musée du Louvre. 

This week we are going to share with you the gorgeous details of each of these rooms and how they were used.  There are two types of rooms in the suite of apartments. The smaller private rooms for the minister and wife and the over-the-top ceremonial rooms. 

The rooms just went through a much needed nine-month cleaning and restoration with the reopening on June 21, 2024. The Louvre also added a few great informative banners with some details on the restoration available in French, English, and Spanish and if you visit in the next few months check them out, they normally don’t leave these up forever. 

Let’s head into the rooms. At first, you will be struck by how subdued these rooms are. When first installed the staircase separated the bedroom and bathroom from the boudoir and family living room. However, with each minister, they would move these around. Just before the rooms were inaugurated they were changed again when Count Walewski moved in and sent his wife to the ground floor rooms. 

Lefuel originally had these rooms planned with elaborate walls and painted ceilings. These rooms were finished first in 1859 after the minister’s office in the Richelieu Pavillon and allowed the Foulds to move right in. Many people walk right through these rooms as they don’t hold quite the wow factor as the gilded gold and red rooms but take a moment to look at them. 

While the ceilings don’t have large murals painted there are still details not to miss. The first room after the entrance was the drawing room which changed with each minister. This was essential in the family sitting room with large book shelfs in the alcove which Fould insisted on having. The fireplace is a copy of the dauphin’s bedroom at Versailles with bronze caryatid and atlas on the corners by bronzesmith Charles Perrault and gilded by H. Picard. The ceiling is simple with objects representing science, industry, and the arts in a pretty green color by Charles Chauvin. 

Just through this room that connects to the northern side of the grand staircase is a small antechamber that also connects to a bedroom that is not open to the public. 

Beginning the status of grandeur is the Escalier d’honneur des appartements du ministre d’État. On the south side that overlooks the Cour Napoleon and upper balcony that connected the minister’s office to the Grande Salon. The sculptures and art found in these rooms are original to the space including La Méditation by Jean Marie Bonnassieux and the one that always catches the attention of children Enfant Jouant avec une Tortue by Pierre Hébert who also sculpted the statue of Sainte Genevieve on the facade of Saint Etienne du Mont.

As discussed last week architect Lefuel cut many corners when picking the materials and the staircase is a great showcase for those. All the walnut doors on the three levels were designed by Lefuel and carved by Harpin & Cousseau including the two doors that are just for show. The palmette motifs above the door were carved by their team of 12 artists. However, the railing and large light fixture are not iron and the first design submitted was turned down and Lefuel partially designed exactly what he wanted.  Sculptor Morland worked on the crown and genie figures on the chandelier which was originally gas and electroplated by Charles Christofle. Instead of using cast iron for the decorative metalwork, electroplating, and painted metal was used instead. 

A few of my favorite things are the lamps on the south railing over the staircase. Copper-plated Medicis vases topped with small dragons and lion heads. On the east and west walls are two large paintings by Charles Francois Daubigny who painted many of the murals in the apartments. On the east the Pavillon de Flore was once part of the Tuileries and on the west wall the Palais and garden of the Tuileries. The palace was destroyed in 1871, ten years after it was painted. 

We will walk through another small room of the personal apartments. With the beautiful fabric covering the walls with bouquets the one-time boudoir of the wife of the minister, the ceiling is painted by floral artist Alexis de Ghéquier. Most of the decoration is in the corners and a combination of painted floral garland, swags, and golden scrollwork. The corners are beautiful be sure to take a close look and not just speed through the room. 

The next room is the first of the highly decorated rooms and is different from all the others. The Large Antechamber is covered in waxed walnut carved by Nelli. Once the design was approved by Lefueul forty-two artists sculpted each panel. Take a close look at the paneling and then the large table created by Deguil & Ramillan. The same motif is used on both which is something Lefuel would employ in a few rooms. As you enter the room a gorgeous green marble heater by René Langlois perfectly matches the green damask velvet chairs. 

The ceiling is also covered with waxed walnut with egg borders and rosettes and crowned in the center with a brown monochromatic representing allegories of the arts by Victor-Francois Biennoury who also painted many ceilings for the emperesses rooms of the Tuileries. 

Now we step into the first of the gold and red rooms and the first thing you notice are the two large chandeliers. Each with more than 80 bulbs yet not the most impressive, that one is yet to come. What appears to be stone sculptures on the walls and ceilings are carton-pierre which is boiled tissue paper, clay, chalk, and glue.

Much lighter on the walls than stucco and less expensive. Carton-pierre can also be found at Versailles, although you would never really know. Sculpted by Joseph-Felix Simoullard and Bernard did much of the wall and ceilings throughout the ceremonial rooms. The carpet that reflects the rosette and frames of the ceiling by Braquerié is an exact copy of the original.  Charles Daubigney painted the large pieces of Herons and Stags on the walls. 

The last room of the private apartments served as the bedroom for the minister’s wife and also included a small dressing room that was later removed. The ceiling, painted by Alexis de Ghéquier with garlands of flowers, heads of goddesses in the corners, and a vase of flowers representing each season at the center of each side. The same lovely fabric on the walls as in the last room of the private apartments but not originally part of the decor. Most of the fabric dates to the 1970s.

A transitional room. The family living room could also be used for smaller formal events. Much of the furniture in this room is original but the tapestry queen chairs by Louis Delanois date to 1763. With images by François Boucher, it’s a bit of the style of Versailles added in. The ceiling by Emilé Levy is in the center of the Stars & the Elements again in a monochromatic color. Apollo is the sun in a chariot pulled by horses. On the left Diane is the moon with cupids in the center. Around the ceiling in the voussure  are four medallions representing each of the elements. North is the earth, west represents air, south is the water, and east is fire. 
This is the only room in the apartments that also has framed art on the walls and originally here. In 1993 when these rooms became part of the museum the entire contents were added to the inventory of the Louvre. The Vase of Flowers by Elise Bruyére over the door is lovely and on the east wall View of Nice by Adolphe Viollet-le-Duc, son of the architect should be noticed.  Sculpture on the walls and ceiling by Emilé Knecht and the doors with blue cameos by Charles-Dominique Chauvin. 

Episode 217 - The History of the Napoleon III Apartments, part 1

The Apartments of Napoleon III in the Musée du Louvre is a bit of a misnomer. Even the Louvre website titles them the “so-called Apartments of Napoleon III”. Most believe that the 2nd and last Emperor of France lived there, it’s not a big leap and the name would have you believe this is a fact. However, I am here to set the story straight and give you all the gilded details of these beautiful rooms of the Louvre. 

Under the reign of Napoleon III, he transformed the city into the Paris we know today. Large boulevard lined with beautiful buildings and wrought iron balconies. Streets topped with monuments and parks dotting the neighborhoods. One of his greatest projects he would tackle was the transformation of the Palais des Tuileries and the Musée du Louvre.

The  Palais du Louvre re-imagination started by François I in the 16th century and conceptualized under Henri IV would finally come to fruition over 200 years later with Napoleon III.  Living in the Tuileries and naming himself Emperor as one does he wanted to set up his government a short walk away and installed many of the offices in the Tuileries and Louvre.  

On July 25, 1852, the first stone of the Richelieu wing for the “New Love” was laid with a goal in mind to finish by the 1855 Universal Exposition. Inaugurated on August 14, 1857, the next day on Saint Napoleon’s Day, the public entered the newly improved Louvre. The Louvre of the 18th and 19th centuries was a far cry from what we know it today. Now it stretches to close to nine miles of gallery space, however, in the time of Napoleon III, it was mostly reserved for offices. 

In 1852, Napoleon brought back the position of the Minister of State. It was a pre-curser to the Ministry of Culture and oversaw the museums, arts, and theater as well as the Emperor’s parties. It was under the second minister Achille Fould that saw the movement of the offices from the Tuileries to the new arm of the Palais du Louvre in the Richelieu wing. 

Architect Hector-Martin Lefuel took over the New Louvre project after the sudden death of Louis Visconti in 1853. Carrying out the original plan with a few changes and having input on every small detail. Visconti was fine letting the inner decor of the structure be led by others but not Lefuel. He wanted a say in every curtain, wall hanging, and painting and let it be known. However, he would meet his match with Minister Fould who also had strong ideas on what his offices and private apartments should look like. 

What began under Napoleon Bonaparte at the start of the 19th century aligning himself with the over-the-top glitz and guiding of the Ancien Regime. Napoleon III would crank it up a few notches and spread it around into any of the projects he took on and become the style of Napoleon III. Inspired by the Hotel de Soubise and Versailles, the style of Louis XV for the private rooms and Louis XIV style for the ceremonial rooms continued into the Louvre.

Lefuel used modern techniques and cut corners where he could due to time constraints and costs.  Pasteboard instead of carved wood or stucco for wall decorations and electroplating instead of durable wrought iron. This would backfire then many things had to be replaced as they didn’t stand up to time.

The Apartments of the Minister give us a glimpse of what the Palais des Tuileries looked like and the decor created under Empress Eugenie. Destroyed in the Commune of 1871, nothing remains of the palace’s interior and the destruction would later lead to the second life of the ministry apartments. 

Minister of State Achille Fould was born in Paris on November 17, 1800. His father was a banker and thought Achille would follow in the family’s footsteps. Named the minister of Finance in 1849 under the first President of the Republic,  Napoleon III. He held the job until the 1851 coup d’etat. He would be promoted to Minister of State and the Household of the Emperor which also placed him in charge of the Musée du Louvre and a major role in the restoration of Notre Dame de Paris. 

Small design elements of the apartments were encouraged by Fould. Artists chosen, changing imitation terracotta in the paintings to stone and movement from the private apartment to offices. Sadly, Fould would be out of the job when the rooms were finally inaugurated in 1861. 

Count Alexandre Walewski, cousin of Napoleon III took over the role of Minister and inaugurated the rooms with a lavish ball on February 11, 1861. Walewski was the son of Countess Marie Walewski who met Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806 in Poland.  She was encouraged to get close to Bonaparte to help Poland gain independence from Prussian and Russian rule. 

Claiming this was the only reason however she would follow him from Poland to Vienna and finally Paris. In 1809 she discovered she was pregnant and returned to Poland and her husband for the last few months of her pregnancy. Claiming the baby was his son but one look at the child and Napoleon knew he was his. Although he was never legitimized it was also the proof Bonaparte needed to know that he wasn’t the issue in the bedroom with Josephine and would lead to their divorce. In 2013 a DNA test was done on a few of his descendants and he is confirmed to be the son of Napoleon Bonaparte. 

Just one look at the Count in photos as he got older is very clear to see. He would go on to have a few illegitimate children including a son with French actress Rachel who we have covered in a past episode. 

The night of the inauguration on February 11, 1861, a party that was talked about for generations saw the who’s who of Paris arriving. For three hours a constant stream of over two thousand attendees dressed in the haute couture of the day arrived. A large May Pole was set up in the Grand Salon and the music of Beethoven, Liszt, Verdi, and Mozart played while soprano Pauline Viardot sang. 

Two years later the ministry changed once again with Aguste Billault taking over for a few short months until he died in office and was replaced by Eugene Rocher.  Madame Rocher would make the biggest changes in the private apartments by moving her husband downstairs into the lower mezzanine taking over the larger rooms and adding a boudoir. Madame Rocher was hard to convince to leave her property on the edge of Paris where she had a wide array of animals including swans, cows, and sheep. Many of her animals went to the farm of Marshall Vaillant and the sheep lived out their life in the basement of the Louvre. 

The ministry was abolished in 1869 and the Ministry of Letters and the Fine Arts moved in until the collapse of the Empire of Napoleon III. As a result of the Seige of Prussia and the actions of the Emperor that led to many angry Frenchmeto the Bloody Week of May 1871 saw the destruction of many of the buildings of Paris. 

The Palais des Tuileries was a pivotal monument of their anger and they quickly set their sights on the Ministry of Finance on the Rue de Rivoli and the Imperial Library located in the Palais du Louvre.  The Tuileries and Ministry were destroyed and burnt to the stone walls.  Now without a home, the Ministry of Finance squatted in the Louvre. A few short weeks later Adolphe Thiers made it official and signed the offices over to Finance. 

In 1873 restoration work began on the former library of the Pavillon Richelieu and the offices of the Ministry that expanded throughout the wing and seven floors. In 1905 part of the office was allocated to the Musée des Arts Decoratifs. 

No longer using the private apartments to live they became part of the official offices of the minister including the future president of France, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing from 1969 to 1974. The fancier rooms were used for ceremonial events until 1989. 

In 1981 Francois Mitterand initiated the Grand Louvre project which would see the building of the Pyramid, changing the layout of the Louvre and the need for more space. The Ministry was told to leave and new offices down the Seine in Bercy were being built. New minister Edouard Balladur didn’t like the idea and decided he was going to stay in the Louvre. The negotiating delayed the project a year until they could push it out just in time for the inauguration of the Pyramid on March 30, 1989. 

The seven levels of the Richelieu wing were not going to line up with the design of the museum and most of the interior was demolished to rebuild into three floors. The exception was the rooms of the ministry which were restored but still hold their original decor. 

Recently cleaned and restored the rooms reopened on June 21 and I was the first one in the door to once again stand under the large chandeliers. 

Next week we will share the details on the decor and functions of each room.

Episode 216 - Veuve Clicquot

On December 16,  1777, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, the mother of champagne was born.  Ponsardin came from a wealthy family in Reims, France. Her father Ponce Jean Nicolas Philippe Ponsardin was a textile merchant and politician who worked with Philippe Clicquot. Clicquot was also an important textile merchant and they decided to strengthen their companies and families through the arranged marriage of their children.

At 21 years old Barbe-Nicole married François Clicquot uniting the family. Clicquot also owned some vineyards but hadn’t been too serious in the winemaking game yet but his son François saw it had great promise.

François began work right away in the champagne business with his father expanding the company to 60,000 bottles a year and shipping throughout Europe at the start of the 19th century.  On March 20, 1799, their daughter Clémentine was born and six short years later her husband François would die of typhoid or suicide on October 23, 1805. Now with a small child and a champagne house Barbe-Nicole, Veuve Clicquot had to decide what to do next. 

Her father-in-law Philippe wanted to sell the company but Barbe-Nicole wanted to take it over. At the time the new Napoleonic Code didn’t allow women to work or head a company unless they were widows. She had enough family money that she would be able to take on the business on her own, something that women did not do at the time. One of the first women to lead an International business, forever known as Veuve Clicquot was born in that moment. In 1810 she launched Veuve-Clicquot Ponsardin and became the first female champagne producer and the first to lead a champagne house. 

A keen head for business with the help of lifelong employee Louis Bohne, she discovered that the Russian royalty loved her Champagne and shipped thousands of bottles to them. When Napoleon’s naval blockades thwarted her business, she used other boats to get her liquid gold to them. On the brink of losing everything she would charter a Dutch boat to sneak down the rivers to Russia with over 10,000 bottles. Selling out in just a few weeks she would do it again and again. This decision would change her business, surviving on the waterways of France and why you see the anchor on the bottle today. As for that distinct yellow color of the label,  well that comes from a perfect French chicken egg yoke.

While many Champagne houses waited for the conflicts to be over she used the time to build her brand and when things eased up she was ready to take on the world. By 1814, she was producing 400,000 bottles a year. 

One day when they were trying to figure out a better method to remove the lees (yeast) from the bottle. Sitting around her kitchen table she came up with an idea and began to cut holes into her table. She created the technique of riddling that allowed the bottles to be placed at a 45-degree angle so the yeast would gather in the neck of the bottle, frozen, and removed, thus ending in that clear glass of bubbles. 

 La Grande Dame de la Champagne would die on July 29, 1866, at 89 years old, leaving behind a legacy that would last until this day. At the time of her death, she was now producing 750,000 bottles a year. Today the house is owned by LVMH, the largest luxury brand in the world, and produces more than 4,000,000 bottles a year. I think Madame Clicquot would be pretty proud of how beloved her champagne is today.

On my first visit to France, a trip to the motherland was at the top of my list. As we drove into Reims it was straight to the golden gates of the Madame herself. A tour of the champagne house includes a visit down into the caves that have been used for hundreds of years. Along the rows and rows of riddling racks keep an eye out at the chalk walls. During World War I they were used as a hospital and red crosses remain to remind us of the past and are especially important today when we need to know how we can survive. 

I’ll keep my Vueve-colored heels following in her steps every day with a glass of Champagne bien sur.

Episode 215 - The Mays of Notre Dame, the Paintings and Restoration

On April 15, 2019, the night of the fire a majority of the art was protected in the side chapels and able to avoid the direct flow of water but not the humidity of the water that would sit in the cathedral for hours and days later.  On the night of only two paintings were removed, neither was a Mays.  On April 19, 15 paintings were removed by the  Bovis & Chenue companies and taken to the Louvre.  On April 24, 3 others were removed from below the North Tower. 

In August 2020, the last two were removed from the transept as it had been to dangerous to walk under until the roof could be secured. 

The office of the French Historical Monuments and President Macron decided that whatever had been in the Cathedral on April 14, 2019, must return. Lucky for us, but they still are going to make some changes in how they are returned. 

The Restoration Process

The fire allowed the church to restore all 22 paintings held in Notre Dame but it isn’t the first restoration for any of the paintings but most likely the first complete restoration in 300 to 400 years.

Restorations before the late 19th century were always undertaken by artists. Not always the best option especially for our girl Mona Lisa as we have discussed.  

From 1731-1781 Restoration by Achille-René Grégoire painter gave each a general cleaning. In 1781 artist Joseph Ferdinand Francois Godefroid added a more in-depth restoration including a new canvas. Cleaned, filled, repainted, and varnished. 

1806-1837 Francois Giroux carried out the cleaning and revarnishing. In 1844 Stanislas de Pereira restored 54 paintings in the church and in 1862 42 paintings including 25 mays were sent to the Louvre for cleaning and restoration. 

Current restoration 

The role of the restorers should be to clean the paintings and bring back the original vision of the artists. Their job is not to add to the painting in their way and whatever they do should be reversible for later restorers. 

Bovis Company created a storage location and 2 ateliers in a former airplane hangar. Each painting needed 10 people to move them. Large rolling racks over 20 feet tall were created to hold all the paintings between restorations. Three companies, 50 restorers for the 22 pieces over 24 months

1806-1837 Francois Giroux carried out the cleaning and revarnishing. In 1844 Stanislas de Pereira restored 54 paintings in the church and in 1862 42 paintings including 25 mays were sent to the Louvre for cleaning and restoration. 

#2. Cleaning the pictorial layer. Solvents are used to carefully clean the painting. They first test it on the edges of the painting before tackling the body of the work. First, remove the old varnish by slowly thinning it removes the yellow and degraded layer that alters the colors of the painting. If at all possible the original layer of paint is never removed. 

Once cleaning is done it takes the longest time to check the structure of the piece and the support. Up to 5 layers.  

Top to bottom

Colorful layer and varnish, Preparation, Original canvas, Canvas, and re-canvas, and Chassis or support 

#3 treatments to check support and canvas 

None of the canvases past the pictorial layer are original. Over time the canvas loses its tension and the adhesive layers begin to separate and even pull away from the support. All of this is examined in the first course of action with the scientific research of the painting. For some of the paintings it can be damaged in patches of the lower levels and a large restructuring isn’t needed. 

12 of the 22 paintings needed to be relined. For the damaged one it takes multiple steps. Cartonnage, the protective layers of thin paper are added over the painted face of the work for the safety of the image. The painting is then turned over by many people and the structure is removed. With a solvent brushed onto the outer layer of canvas the damaged layers are peeled away. Once the old layers are removed they can clean the back of the original canvas. 

The adhesive is reapplied and new canvases are added to the back. The protective paper on the image is removed and placed back onto the back. All of the structures have been replaced, none are original. Eight of the pieces didn’t need a full relining. And 3 from the 17th century have never been relined. 

#4 Reintegration of painting and revarnish 

A layer of varnish is added and any holes are filled and returned to frames. Most of the frames are dated to the 20th century. VLD replaced many in the mid-19th century when the styles had changed. Only 3 frames had to be replaced. Most were scrubbed clean and restored and new gilding was added. 

Les Mays in the cathedral pre and post-fire that were restored. 13 of the 76 Les Mays were still in the cathedral.

1634 The Descente of the Holy Spirit by Jacques Blanchard 

Oldest in ND and 5th in the series of 76.  The painting represents the Pentecoste. Banchard, a personal painter to Louis XIII was known as the “French Titian”.  Saint Peter is viewed from behind looking up at the Holy Spirit which is just a golden cloud on the right side of the painting. In 1844 it was in complete dilapidation and relined and cracks were filled and restored. 

1635 Saint Pierre Healing the Sick with his Shadow by Laurent de La Hyre

First of two Le Mays by Hyre. also 1637. The coat of arms of the two donors, Antoine Crochet and Claude de Rosnel on the lower left corner. The restoration of the red, blue, and orange of the cloth is striking compared to the previous image. 

1637 The Conversion of Saint Paul by Laurent de La Hyre 

Depicting the story of Paul on his way to Damascus to persecute the Christians and tossed to the ground when hearing Christ which led to his conversion. The restoration revealed feathers on the helmets that disappeared under the layers of dirt. 

It was placed in the Eglise Thomas d’Aquin from 1806-1962 when it returns to Notre Dame

1639  The Centurian Corneille  at the feet of Saint Pierre  by Aubin Vouet 

Aubin is the younger brother of Simon one of the most prolific painters under Louis XIII and XIV. Aubin painted three Le Mays in 1632, 1639 & 1640, more than any other artist. Corneille had a vision of the Virgin that told him to go to Jaffa to find Pierre. This scene captures the moment when Pierre tells him to rise as he is also just a man.       

During the research on the painting, they saw that Vouet made many changes to the arm and hand of Corneille. Hands and feet can be very difficult to paint. 

When Notre Dame reopens the painting will move to the Chapel of Sainte Genevive on the south side. 

1642 The Preaching of Saint Pierre in Jerusalem by Charles Poerson 

Student of Simon Vouet and close friend and painter of Cardinal Richelieu which helped his entry into the world of the Goldsmith Guild and two selections for the Les Mays. 1642 and 1653. Person depiction of the twisting columns that continue into the spine of the man who wraps himself around them.

1643 The Crucifixion of Saint Pierre by Sébastien Bourdon 

Pierre didn’t feel he was worthy to be crucified on the cross like Jesus so he asked to be tortured upside down as depicted in the diagonal focus of this painting giving off a state of confusion. Above an angel holds a crown that will soon be atop his head. 

Once in the Chapel of Sainte Genevieve, it will be moved to the Chapel of Saint Denys on the Southside.   

1647 The Martyrdom of Saint André by Charles Le Brun 

At just 28 years old, Le Brun was selected for his first of two Mays. The next year under the queen mother Anne of Austria he created the Royal Academy and by 1664 was the painter of King Louis XIV and later the mastermind behind the decor of the Chateau de Versailles. 

Saint André, brother of Saint Pierre and disciple of Jesus known for being crucified on an X-shaped cross. Instead of placing him on the cross, Le Brun depicts the moments before as they have just ripped off his clothes and prepared him to be tortured.  André’s arms and legs are apart recreating the cross as he looks up at the angel gazing at him with the palms of heaven. 

1650 Saint Paul Blinding the False Prophet Barjésu by Nicolas Loir 

Nephew of a Goldsmith who helped grease the wheels and is selected as the painter of 1650. In the city of Paphos in Cyprus where Paul was preaching to the proconsul Sergius Paulus when he was confronted by the magician Barjésu (Bar-Jesus). The Holy Spirit then blinded Barjésu seen in pink in the painting. The event prompted Paulus to convert to Christianity. 

During restoration, they found a no 22 on the lower left corner noting that it is the 22nd in the collection. After it was sent to the Louvre in 1797, it remained and was placed on display in the Sully wing until it was returned to Notre Dame in 1963. 

1951 The Stoning of Saint Etienne by Charles Le Brun 

The second of Le Brun’s paintings is held in Notre Dame. Saint Etienne a key figure in the churches of Paris and the namesake of the first church on the Ile de la Cité where Notre Dame now stands. 

Saint Etienne was condemned to death by stoning in Jerusalem seen on the left side of the painting. The first Christian martyr is on the ground while his executioner pulls his arm back to strike him and bystanders look on. Etienne looks up to the angels and Jesus and his father. The top 10 inches of the painting were created later and sewn to the canvas to match the approved dimensions.  

1655 The Flagellation of Saint Paul and Saint Silas by Louis Testelin

Testelin like a majority of the first paintings listed was a student of Simon Vouet and a founding member of the Royal Academy with Charles Le Brun. The last painting Testelin created depicts the life of Saint Paul as he passed through Macedonia in the year 50. Arrested, tortured, and imprisoned before his release. During the investigation process of the painting, they found that Testelin added layers of red paint under the body of the painting and pink under the sky.

1670 Sant André Quivering with Joy at the Sight of his Torturer by Gabriel Blanchard 

A defender of color and follower of Rubens, Blanchard depicts the saint in the moments before his torture. Positioning his body in the form of a cross as he looks up to the man who will torture him. It is the largest of all the Mays paintings and will be hung in the north transept when it returns to Notre Dame.  

1687 The Preaching of the Prophet Agabus to Saint Paul by Louis Cheron 

Son of artist Louis Chéron who also painted two paintings in 1676 & 1678. As with most of the first thirty paintings, the Acts of the Apostles are depicted once again. A disciple of Jesus, Agabus was sent to Jerusalem to preach snd where he met Paul. Agabus is in the center in white and raises his arm to direct your attention to the dove above, the only depiction of the Holy Spirit in all of the Mays. Paul is on the left in green and red the color of the cardinals and the martyr’s blood. 

1702 The Sons of Scéva beaten by the Ponélé by Matthieu Élias 

From the Acts of Apostles in Ephesus, Élias shows the son of a high priest Scéva who was trying to imitate Saint Paul but a man comes across him and his seven sons. The scene turns violet quickly as others flee in fear. Above Paul can be seen in red healing a possessed man. From the dark scene below to the brightness below in theory and colors are striking. The painting was rolled up and deposited in the Louvre until 1963. 

Life of the Virgin Tapestry 

Fourteen beautifully woven large tapestries were created between 1638 to 1657 under the instruction of Cardinal Richelieu with Michel Le Masle, canon of Notre Dame after the Vow of Louis XIII. 

The first two tapestries by Philippe de Champaigne, Birth of the Virgin and Presentation of the Virgin at the Temple completed on November 13, 1640. In 1650 the Canon of the church resumed the project and ordered 12 additional tapestries. One was designed by Jacques Stella and Charles Poerson who created 11 of them. 

All were created in Paris at the atelier of Pierre Damour except one. The Mariage of the Virgin was woven in Brussels after the design of Jacques Stella. Inaugurated and hung April 3, 1658, in the choir. 

Each includes the cipher and coat of arms of Richelieu and the coat of arms of  Masle in the lower corners. 

Robert de Cotte’s renovations under Louis XIV in 1730 caused the disappearance of the tapestries, paintings, and rude screens.  In 1739 the tapestries were sold to the Strasbourg Cathedral. Displayed during the Advent until the Epiphany. 

Episode 214 - The Mays of Notre Dame de Paris

In the 17th & 18th centuries, the Goldsmiths Guild of Paris donated a large painting to Notre-Dame de Paris these were known as the Les Mays.  Given on the 1st of May between 1630 and 1707, with the exception of the years 1683 & 1694.  

The tradition goes back to the 15th century, in 1449 when the Goldsmiths donated a tree covered with ribbons that was planted in front of the high altar and later in front of the rood screen of Anne of Austria.  However, it was the 17th century when it was decided that a large painting would be given. 

The Goldsmith Guild of Paris  

In 1482 the Campagnons du May combined to create the Conference of Sainte Anne & Saint-Marcel. By 1620 Anne of Austria was named president of the guild. From 1604 - 1608 they had Petits Mays commissioned that would hang in the tabernacle of Notre Dame. In April of 1630 a larger donation was decided on that would include a towering painting. 

Each year a different set of two masters of the brotherhood selected the painter a year in advance and the leaders of Notre Dame selected the theme for the year.  A sketch was then presented to the leaders and if approved they would have a year to complete. The masters also selected the size of the painting which was on average, 15 by 11-foot- painting. The commission also included a sketch, two reductions of the painting, and the final canvas.

The art, stained glass, and sculptures in churches and more importantly the facades were to teach the people the Bible’s stories. Since many couldn’t read it was the way they could impart the lessons of the church. Each of the paintings was also an intersection of the word of God, image, and meditation. 

The churches were the first museums. The Catholic church had so much money that they were also able to establish a massive collection. This is why a church in France should never be passed without a pop inside to look at the walls. 

The Mays include a collection of 76 paintings created between 1630-1707 except 1683 and 1694 due to budgetary issues. At one time they were all in Notre Dame and must have been a sight to behold. 

Themes of 1630 - 1670s Acts of the Apostles, 1670s to 1707 the Gospels. Each year the painting was accompanied by a poem or sonnet and a wish for the King. After 1655 an explanation of the paintings was also written and sold. Oh, to get my hands on one of those! 

Today they are scattered throughout France and I have a mission to see them all. When Notre Dame reopens on December 8, 2024, the 13 paintings will return to the west walls of the designated chapels. In the north of France at the Musée Beaux-Arts in Arras are 14 in the Salon des Mays. The Louvre has 7 but only 2 on display and then 18 others are at other churches and museums in France except one in England, give it back! 

The Life of Christ is featured in 22 of the paintings. Saint Paul in 18 and Saint Pierre in 16.  

Each year at Midnight on April 30 the painting was hung in the chapel of Sainte Anne. Sainte Anne was the mother of the Virgin Mary but more so she is associated with the Queen. At 10 am on May 1, the painting was hung near the statue of the Virgin on the Rood screen that stretched across the center of the church.  Remaining on the pillar until the 1 of Juin, they would move to high above the nave. 

Artists chosen from the Royal Academy, many up and coming would have the opportunity for their art to be on permanent display, long before there were any museums.  At first, they wanted mostly unknown painters but once the Academy was created in 1648 the royal artists were looked at first. Charles Le Brun who created the Academy painted his first at just 28 years old in 1647. His second was in 1651 and both remain in Notre Dame. 

Amazing painters of the day, Charles Le Brun, Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne, Noel Coypel, and  Eustache Le Sueur are just a few of the names that created these great works for Our Lady. Lubin Baugin received between 1645 and 1655 an order of 19 paintings from the Canon Michel Le Masle to be placed in the choir as well as the commission to create a set of tapestries dedicated to the Life of the Virgin. 

60 artists over the 76 years. 12 of which did two separate years and one, Aubin Vouet painted three.  

The War of Succession and the restoration of Notre Dame by Robert de Cotte ended the yearly Mays and much of the decoration that filled the church. 

The Goldsmith Guild was dissolved in 1732. 

During the Revolution, the Church fell out of importance as it had been so tightly aligned to the King. Notre Dame became the Temple of Reason and a storage facility. On December 16, 1793, all of the paintings were removed from the Cathedral and deposited to the depot of Petits Augustins before they were deposited in the newly opened Musée Central des Arts, aka Le Louvre. The collection of Notre Dame was sent to Versailles or the Musée de Monuments created by Alexandre Le Noir in June of 1798 where a few were restored and stayed until 1802. 

On August 15, 1801, Napoleon and Pope Pius VII came to an agreement with the Treaty of the Concordat. The 39 articles returned the churches to the Holy See with more of an involvement with the government who would even choose the leaders. Many of the priests refused to sign the agreement which saw them sent off to an early retirement by Napoleon. This act thankfully returned the art to Notre Dame in 1802. Sadly some were sold or even lost and destroyed. 

Napoleon added five paintings to Notre Dame he “liberated” from Italy, all returned to their origin in 1815. Axial chapels changed in 1818 and the paintings were all given a more permanent position. 

Eugene Viollet-le-Duc and Lassus were selected in 1845 to restore the cathedral that was so badly damaged during the Revolution and at one point the government tried to sell it off for the stones.  Under Viollet-le-Duc, he removed all of the paintings, 42 in total as he felt they didn’t go with his painted murals of the chapels he created. He later brought 13 paintings back. 

The paintings were forgotten after the Revolution and after Viollet-le-Duc had them removed until the 1940s when Pierre-Marie Auzas brought them back to light in his book and gave a renewed interest in these works of art. In 1947 the interior life of the cathedral was inspected and studied 

An exhibit at the Sorbonne featuring the “Les Grandes Heures de Notre-Dame de Paris” 1947

1949 Auzas brought 4 of the Mays back from the Louvre 1635, 1643, 1649 & 1651

Auzas did a meticulous investigation of the church and chapels to bring the objects back to the cathedral  Under Auzas plaques were added in chapels. Until the fire, the plaques were the best I have ever seen in a church. Information on every single item in the chapels. I hope they return, especially since the entire layout is changing. 

1963 14 Mays in the church for 800th anniversary 

1983 Le Sueurs May went to the Louvre for an exhibition and never left.  The Louvre has 8 in the collection but only two are currently on display, Coypel’s Saint James the Great led to Martyrdom and Le Sueur’s La Prediction de Saint Paul Éphèse. The other six are in a horrible state and hopefully will be restored down the road. 

Check out the exhibit of the paintings at the Gobelins until July 21 or check out my video on YouTube. Next week we will do a deep dive into the paintings and restoration efforts themselves.

Listen to the newest episode out now HERE

Episode 213 The Musée du Louvre and the Stolen Watteau

We all know about the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Musée du Louvre, but there was another painting that was snatched right off the wall. 

On June 11, 1939, Antoine Watteau’s painting L’Indifferent was quickly cut from its wires and left in the middle of the day from a full room dedicated to the Dr. Louis La Caze collection in the Denon wing. 

To make matters worse, it was 28 years after the theft of the Mona Lisa, and again it wasn’t the guards who discovered it was gone, it was a visitor to the Louvre. The tour guide, Colette Tissier walked into the Salle de La Caze et Schlichting at the far end of the 1st floor of the Denon wing and noticed the small painting was missing. She asked guard Charles Césari where it was and a chain reaction of alarms sounded. Although it was too late, the painting was gone. 

Césari remembered the day before a man that stood for a long time in front of the small painting. The guard later said that a strange amount of people asked him questions about another painting on the other side of the long room diverting his attention. The next day on June 11, Césari noticed the man again but then was gone as he went on his break at 3:35 pm. At 3:50 pm the alarm rang, the doors closed and all visitors were searched as they left. 

Today paintings are hung and attached to metal rods and clipped into place. In 1939 the Watteau was hung by steel wire that the thief would twist a bit every day for over two weeks. Lifting the 8 x 10 painting with his shoulder and gave each wire a little twist which eventually thinned the wire enough for him to quickly cut them on June 11.  

In 1939, just as in 1911 the guards were former military and police members but there still wasn’t enough to cover the space. 114 guards for over 400 rooms bringing it to just one guard for every four rooms. 

Henri Verne, director of the Louvre had done a lot in the first four years on the job. He moved the Asian antiquities to the Guimet museum and also expanded the galleries by moving into the upper floors of the Sully wing and even suggested they move the Ministry of Finance out so the museum could take over the Richelieu wing which would finally happen in 1989. One of his biggest accomplishments was adding lighting to the museum and expanding the hours.  

Verne got the job in 1911 after Théophile Homolle who was fired after the theft of the Mona Lisa. Verne would eventually meet the same fate in December of 1939. The next director, Jacques Jaujard would be the savior of the art of the Louvre during World War II. 

The Theft

The painting was gone and again there were very few clues. The Louvre tried to keep it concealed until the next day and then the authorities weren’t allowed into the museum until June 13. An investigation began and an international search was underway. The Louvre reopened to the public on June 15 and once again the crowds lined up to see the room where the painting was stolen but they wouldn’t wait long for its return. 

Since the theft of the Mona Lisa the Louvre had put in a permanent security commission that involved the director of the Beaux-Arts, architects, and representatives of the police and fire, based in the Marengo  Pavillion on the north side of the Cour Carrée they were far from the scene of the crime and able to keep out of the situation by director Verne. 

For two months Commissioner André Roches led an exhaustive search for the painting. The “daring but easy” robbery didn’t yield many clues and then one day they received a call that within the hour they should expect news on the theft. 

On August 14 the media was alerted that something “sensational” was going to happen at the courthouse. 

When the tall lean man arrived with four lawyers he went directly to the press. He introduced himself as Serge Claude Bougosslavsky, great-grandson of sculptor Pierre Puget, and declared that it was he who stole Watteau’s L’Indifferent from the walls of the Musée du Louvre They all gasped. 

Serge “Bog” as he was known was just 24 years old, the son of Russian immigrants who led a mostly quiet life. Arrested on site he was sent to the Santé prison while he awaited trial. He had planned to steal the painting for over a year and frequently visited the small beauty. 

Serge basking in the limelight went on to tell them that he went to the Louvre every day for 15 days before he stole it. Each day lifting the painting and twisting the wire from which it hung, no one ever noticed.  Bog said “I could not stand to see it in that condition any longer, so I simply took it home with me” 

On June 11, he cut the wire, put the small painting under his coat, and walked right out the door. The reason why he took it? Well, that was because he felt it needed to be restored from errors that occurred in earlier restorations. In a small rental apartment on the top floor at 203 Rue Saint Honoré where he “restored” the painting by washing it to bring out the colors and removing the diabolo (Chinese yo-yo)  which he felt wasn’t in the style of Watteau. The original frame he deemed inappropriate and not the one the artist would have chosen was removed and destroyed.  Bog used industrial strength varnish and substances that did more harm than help the painting he felt so obliged to protect. 

During the process, he wrote a manifesto stating his reason for taking the painting and planned to return the painting to the Louvre and then kill himself. 

Why did he decide to return it? He had three reasons that compelled him to bring an end to the search. The first was so that the magistrate could go on their long-awaited French vacation. Second, the French police could focus on the national defense as it neared World War II and lastly to relieve Scotland Yard which had put through a “great deal of trouble”. 

On October 10, 1939, Serge was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 300 francs. He appealed the conviction and on December 4, his sentence was increased to four years.

After his release, he exiled to Switzerland with his wife Denise Nusia who was the mistress of actor Richard Desprès while he was away in prison. 

For just a few short weeks Watteau’s “retouched” L’Indifferent returned to the Louvre and was on display. It was the only painting in the Louvre. Thirteen days later on December 29 it was packed up and moved to the Loire Valley before the Germans arrived in Paris. 

Restorer Jean-Gabriel Goulinat took special care during the years away and worked on restoring the painting in the Loire Valley. He reported that the painting was attacked and some of the paint was scraped off the hat, left arm, and leg and the removal of the diablo was an arrogant act in itself. The Diablo has never returned 

Watteau, the painter 

Jean-Antoine Watteau was Born October 10, 1684, in Valenciennes in the north of France,  which had become a part of the country six years before. At 18 he moved to Paris and into the Saint Germain neighborhood with Flemish artists and began to paint but not in the romantic way we may think.

The young Antoine got a job at a small shop on the Pont Notre Dame and was employed as a copyist and sign painter. In 1709, with loftier goals he entered the Prix de Rome contest but finished in second and returned to Valenciennes for three years. Refocusing he joined the Royal Academy on July 30, 1712, and moved to the nearby Quai de Conti on the edge of the Left Bank where he worked on what would become the piece that would name the movement. 

Watteau was given special access to the Palais du Luxembourg and the Rubens Medici cycle of 24 paintings depicting the life of Marie de Medicis which he would copy and influenced him greatly and led to his carefree depictions of the Regency. 

Louis XIV died on September 1, 1715, and his great-grandson Louis XV was only 5 years old.  Philippe Duc d’Orlean, nephew of Louis XIV served as the Regent and moved the court back to Paris from Versailles. In Paris, the parties returned to the Hotel Particuliers and the Palais Royal. The days of frivolity and decadence were here and Watteau was about to capture them on the canvas. 

On August 18, 1717, Watteau entered his reception piece L’Embarquement pour Cythère .  Upon seeing the painting the Academy had a difficult time classifying the painting as a Fetes Galantes giving him his own genre and place in the Academy. 

At the end of 1720, suffering from tuberculosis he moved to Nogent-sur-Marrne to live with his friend Léfebvre and died on July 18, 1721, and was buried at the Eglise Saint-Saturnin in Nogent-sur-Marne. Desecrated during the Revolution his bones were destroyed. Today you can find a monument dedicated to the artist by Louis Aurray, inaugurated in 1865. 

On November 8, 1896, a monument to Watteau by Henri Desiré Gauquié was added to the east side of the Jardin du Luxembourg. 

Anywhere from 35 to 90 paintings have been attributed to him. Since his early paintings were copies some art historians attribute him to fewer paintings, but the majority of them were the scenes of the Fetes Galantes. 

The provenance of the L’Indifférent includes a few well-known names along the way. Painter and miniaturist Jean-Baptiste Massé was the first to own l’Indifferent in 1729 after the death of Watteau. After the death of Massé, it was sold to the Marquis de Marigny, superintendent of buildings under Louis XV. A job he was able to slide into thanks to his sister Madame de Pompidour, the love of the king. Marigny died on May 11, 1781, and the painting was sold a year later to Auguste Gabriel Godefroy.  Son of jeweler Charles Godefroy, the family had a long love affair with art and as a child, the young Auguste was depicted in John Siméon Chardin’s L’Enfant au Toton found just two rooms away from Watteau in the Louvre. 

On September 29, 1806, it was sold to art dealer Jean-Baptiste Le Brun, nephew of Charles Le Brun and husband of Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun, the amazing artist known for her feminine portraits and the official painter of Marie-Antoinette. 

In 1848 it was purchased by Doctor Louis Le Caze who in 1865 would give the Musée du Louvre the largest donation in museum history of 583 paintings and drawings covering Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, and French artists that including Watteau. At the time of the donation, the Louvre had only one painting by the artist in the collection. Which grew to 19 paintings and numerous drawings.  

Many of Watteau’s paintings can also be found at the Chateau de Chantilly and in St Petersburg, Russia. During WWII the rococo artist was a favorite of Hitler and his main henchman Goering tried to convince Jacques Jaujard to give him the Louvre’s entire Watteau collection. They refused and countered with the return of 8 works the Berlin museum has in its collection.  Neither side was successful. The French did give up one piece, more on that another time. 

Today l’Indifferent is behind a glass wall in Salle 918 on the 2nd floor of the Sully wing and few search it out. 

Episode 205 - Winged Victory of Samothrace

Winged Victory of Samothrace, is the majestic headless lady that stands high above the Daru staircase looking like she is about to take flight. It was 160 years ago this week on May 11, 1864, she finally arrived at the Musée du Louvre. 

Vice Council to Andrinople in the Ottoman Empire  (Turkey today) Charles Champoiseau heard that the island Samothrace was filled with antiquities. Charles knew that Napoleon III was very interested in any and all antiquities for the French National Museum. The French Ministry of Public Instruction approved a 2000 f (close to 10k today) On March 6, 1863, the expedition began on the island in the Aegean Sea.  On April 15, 1863, diggers unearthed a grand portico and found the right section of a female bust. As soon as Champoiseau saw it he instructed them all to keep digging in the area. Draped fabric, feathers, and the lower body of the statue was soon discovered, 118 pieces in total. 

Dating to the Hellenisitc period that ran between 323 to 32 BC, she was created in the first quarter of the 2nd century BC between 200 - 175 BC, Champoiseau was in awe of what they had found.  “Sheer marble muslin pressed by the wind against the living flesh,” Champoiseau wrote in his journal and was struck by how amazing the quality of the fragments. At the same time, large gray stones were found but left behind believing they were part of another funerary monument, we will address those in a bit. 

In May 1863 after wading through the international arguing, she finally left for Paris for a voyage that would take almost a year. From Samothrace, she traveled on the French ambassador’s ship to Constantinople and eventually to Toulon where she sat for six months while the government argued about who should pay for her final journey to Paris. 

On May 11, 1864, the 2nd century BC statue was over 118 pieces and was handed to the Louvre curator of Antiquities, Adrién de Longpérier for the first recreation and restoration.  Adrién believed the largest piece of her should be displayed immediately for the public. The largest piece was the right side of her lower body with the smooth draping of her tunic. Enrico Penelli had just restored the vases of the Campana collection and was asked to tackle the 118 pieces of the yet-to-be-known statue. 

Prior to 1850, restoration projects at times resulted in a reimagination of statuary. Many Greek and Roman statues were updated and changed at the hands of curators. A few pieces in the Louvre have changed from Athena to Psyché with a simple change of a head or attributes. Since 1850, statues have only been restored from pieces they have found and for the integrity of the statue. 

While Penelli tackled the puzzle that was the marble pieces and how to handle the large parts that were missing. In 1866, Adrién de Longpérier placed the largest piece in the Salle des Caryatids and then to the Salle des Tibre amongst the Roman statues which is where Venus de Milo now lives. 

In 1873 German scholar Alexandre Conze led an Austrian architectural team to the island to study the remaining structures of Samothrace.  Two years later a report was published and inspired architect  Alois Hauser to look further into the blocks left behind. Once placed together they created the prow of an ancient battleship. 

Hauser had seen a Tetradrachm coin minted in between 301 and 292 BC under the reign of Demetrios Poliorketes.  The coin shows a Winged Victory on top of a ship. In her right hand, she holds a long trumpet that she is blowing, and in her left hand a long stylis that was taken from an enemy ship.  WInged Victory, or Nike in Greek history was the daughter of Titan Pallas and Oceanide Styx. 

A chance encounter with Champoiseau and Conze in the Spring of 1879 on a ship found the two dishing over their journals and notes on Victory.  In July Champoiseau returned to Samothrace and had all the large stones left behind packed and sent to Paris. This time it only took four months. In December 1879, the first reconstruction of the ship and base came together in the Cour de Sphinx. 
The second and biggest restoration came in 1880 under Felix Ravaisson-Mollien. The former transcriber of the manuscripts of Leonardo da Vinci was named curator of Roman and Greek antiquities in 1886 and spent endless hours researching Victory.  Felix discovered that plaster was easier to replicate and reproduce missing pieces of the wings and body rather than a heavier marble.  Under his curatorship he had the entire right wing recreated, removed a part of her left arm that was not based on actual pieces and attached pieces of the waist of her tunic. 

Unlike statues of the Renaissance, Victory was created in pieces, not from one large stone. Using Paros marble from the nearby island, the white marble is one of the finest there is. The base and ship is Lartos marble in Rhodes, the gray-grained marble stands out against the white of the statue. 

Retaining the original marble for the new pieces was impossible. Felix used plaster, Carera marble, and marble powder used for joints in the right wing, left breast shoulder, and upper waist.  After three and a half years the restoration was complete and where to put her was the next big question.  Briefly, they thought about putting her in the garden of the Carrousel but thankfully that was turned down a unanimous decision was reached placing her at the top of the Daru staircase of the Denon wing. 

The Escalier Daru just might be the 2nd most famous thing in the Louvre as it leads up to the stunning Winged Victory. Originally the Escalier du Salon led from the entrance of the Rotonde de Mars to the Salon Carré. Under Napoleon III the entrance moved to the Pavillon Denon and two new staircases were created on either end. 

Named for Pierre Daru who began his military career at the end of the Revolution and worked his way up to the Minister of War. So loyal to Napoleon that he named his first son after him. He not only has one room in the Louvre he has three!

Hector Lefuel wanted to honor the former staircase of Percier & Fontaine but was shot down. The 2nd empire of Napoleon III would end and Lefuel died before the Escalier Daru was finished. In 1882 Edmon Guillaume picked Jules-Eugene Lenepveu to create a set of Victories in mosaics that were added in 1887 to honor its new grand resident, Winged Victory. 

Victory of Samothrace was placed in 1883 in a setting that some called a concert hall. It was quite busy and filled with antiquities on the walls and landings of the staircase. Guillaume painted the walls of Pompein red like the two large format French painting rooms and added blossoms around the scrolling foliage. “A summary of the riches of the Louvre” was the theme for the two decorated domes topped with windows.

Artist Jules-Eugene Lenepveu created each of the allegories and executed them by students of the National Mosaic School of Paris. In the elliptical dome above Victory, dedicated to Antiquity are allegories symbolized Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and Rome. Above that in a ring are medallions of artists Cheops, Gouda, Phidas, and Vitruvius. 

The second dome above the staircase itself was dedicated to the Renaissance with allegories of France, Germany, Italy, and Flanders and medallions with portraits of Raphael, Poussin, Durer, and Rubens. 

Two smaller domes for Holland and England over the staircase and the two smaller ones opposite the landing to the French rooms were dedicated to the 16th & 17th centuries. The other double arches evoked the Middle Ages, modern times, Orient, Spain, Flanders and Germany. The domes were revealed in August 1897 but would only last 37 years. 

In 1932 director Henri Verne began the modernization of the Louvre and that beautiful ceiling that was often criticized for being too dark was covered with wallpaper that replicates the stone of the walls. They are still safely hidden behind and as early as 2010 there was talk of uncovering them. The 1932 renovation also opened the landing by pushing the small steps back giving Victory the grand space she deserved. 

The 3rd restoration of 1932-34 by Etienne Michon pushed her further against the wall. The original placement of her statue in Samothrace was at a ¾ view with her left side facing out. That wasn’t an option for the Escalier Daru and would change the perspective numerous directors wanted. 

In August 1939 when the rest of the Louvre was being packed and moved to the Loire, Victory  was not safe at the top of the Escalier Daru under a glass window in case a German bomb was to hit. On September 2, 1939 as the war officially began workers wrapped her in a tarp and ropes and built a wooden cage around her. As people watched she was lifted off her bow and placed at the top of the steps and then slowly lowered down the 53 marble steps. 

Victory would remain in the Louvre until the end of October when the Germans were closer and closer toParis. She was one of the last to leave the Louvre heading to the Chateau de Valençay in the Loire with Venus de Milo and Michelangelo’s Slaves and spent six years in the Loire valley. On. June 21, 1945, when she climbed the stairs a final time to return to her perch as the first thing to return to the Louvre. 

In 2013 an intense scientific study of the statue was undertaken. All the pieces were separated and many of the original 2nd century BC pins and dowels were replaced. The entire mission of a restorer is to take the entire history of a piece and respect all of the past work undertaken but to only make changes that can later be reversible. In this day and age the technology on hand can see every change and the original intent of the artist and all comes into play. 

In the most recent renovation, they found Persian blue paint on the statue that could only be seen through an x-ray. Undertaken in the nearby Salle des Sept Cheminée what was once the bedroom to the king and steps from the Daru staircase. 

The restoration took 8 months and when she returned she was placed on a new Carerra marble base raising her off the landing as people used to stand on it. Today they are constantly touching it until a guard or myself yells at them.