University of Virginia Library

19. Palais du Luxembourg.

Garden. Ney's Monument. Observatory.

In the quarters of the city on the l. bank of the Seine, the
Faubourg St. Marcel, Faubourg St. Jacques and St. Michel (Quartier
Latin) and the Faubourg St. Germain, the principal objects of
interest are the Jardin des Plantes (p. 141), the Pantheon (p. 138),
and the Palais du Luxembourg with its Gallery of Modern
Pictures. Of these the last named deservedly holds the first
rank. Like the collections of the Louvre, it is open daily,
Mondays excepted, from 10 to 4 o'clock. The garden is accessible
daily from sunrise to sunset. The palace is shown for a
gratuity (1 fr. for one pers., 2—3 fr. for a party), except during
the session of the chambers.

This palace, the most extensive in Paris after the Louvre,
the Tuileries and the Palais Royal, was erected and sumptuously
decorated in 1615 by Desbrosses, by order of Marie de Médicis.
In the spring of 1621 Rubens here sketched the designs of his
large pictures representing scenes from the queen's life, now in
the Louvre, which he afterwards executed at Antwerp with the
aid of his pupils and exhibited in the halls of the Luxembourg
in 1625. The long gallery still contains frescoes by Jordaens,
Rubens' talented pupil.

The palace derives its appellation from the Duke of Pinay-Luxembourg,
whose mansion formerly occupied the same site;
various other names have been proposed, but have never been
universally adopted.

Until the revolution the palace continued to be a princely
residence, and immediately before that event was presented by
Louis XVI. to his brother the Count of Provence (Louis XVIII.),
who quitted it in June, 1791.

The Convention, which had selected the Tuileries for the seat
of its operations converted the Luxembourg into a prison (especially
for the reception of members of noble families), in which
Hébert, Camille Desmoulins, Danton, Robespierre, the artist David,
Josephine Beauharnais and others were afterwards temporarily
confined. In 1795 the edifice received the name of Palais du
Directoire, subsequently that of Palais du Consulat. For a time
the Directory and the Consulate held their sessions here; the

latter, however, for a short period only, as Bonaparte removed to
the Tuileries, Feb. 29th, 1800.

During the empire the palace was occupied by the senate,
and was termed Palais du Sénat-Conservateur. After the restoration
and under Louis Philippe the Chamber of Peers met here.
In March and April, 1848, the "Commission du gouvernement pour
les travailleurs" under Louis Blanc and Albert ("Ouvrier") held their
Socialist meetings in the palace. Since 1852 it has again been
styled Palais du Sénat, that body now, as under Napoleon I., here
holding its sessions.

Visitors enter the court by the principal entrance, pass through
the middle-door in the r. wing and ascend the magnificent staircase.
They are then usually required to wait in the entrance-hall,
decorated with bronze statues of celebrated Greeks and Romans,
until a party is formed. The *Salle du Trône, constructed
and sumptuously decorated in 1856, replaces the former Salle du
Sénat and Salle des Conférences. The walls are decorated with a
series of large pictures of scenes from the history of the Napoleons:
1. Napoleon I. elected Emperor, by Signol; 2. He signs
the Concordat, by Hesse; 3. He inspects the flags captured at
Austerlitz, by Philippoteaux; 4. Napoleon with the Invalides, by
Couder. In the cupola, Triumph of Universal Suffrage, by Alaux
(7,500,000 votes for the present Emperor). Then, 5. Return of
the Pope to Rome in 1849, by Benouville; 6. Napoleon III. inspecting
the progress of the New Louvre, by Gosse; 7. Distribution
of the eagles in the Champ de Mars in 1852, by Pils;
8. The Senate proclaiming the Empire, by Couder. The Galerie
des Bustes, containing the busts of the senators of the first empire,
surrounds the Salle du Sénat. The latter was destroyed by
fire in 1859, but was restored to its original form. The lowest
seats are reserved for princes, cardinals and marshals; the senators
speak from their places. The visitor is hence conducted
back to the Salle du Trône, and then to the Cabinet de l'Empereur
which contains the following pictures: 1. Napoleon III. entering
Paris from St. Cloud, by Couder; 2. His Nuptials, by
Fleury; 3. Napoleon I. signs the Peace of Campoformio, by Brisset;
4. the 18th Brumaine, by Vinchon. A stair now descends to
the Apartments of Queen Marie de Médicis.

The decorations of the Sleeping Apartment of Marie de Médicis
were torn down and partially destroyed during the revolution;
some of them, however, were afterwards discovered in a
garret of the Louvre. Louis XVIII. caused this apartment to be
restored in its former style in 1817. The decorations, which
consist of arabesques on a gold ground, are executed with great
taste. The paintings are of the school of Rubens. After the restoration
and under Louis Philippe this room was known as the
Salle du Livre d'Or, and was employed as a receptacle for documents

recording the titles and coats of arms of the Peers of France.
Members of these families during that period were accustomed to
celebrate their nuptials in the richly decorated Chapel, restored
in 1842.

The Library of the Senate, a handsome gallery with 40,000
vols., is not usually shown to the public (enquiry may be made
of the attendant). The cupola is adorned with one of the finest
works of the talented Delacroix (d. 1863), representing Elysium
as pourtrayed by Dante, and remarkable for its spirited style and
rich colouring.

The **Musée du Luxembourg, a collection of about 170 Paintings
of Living Artists, some 30 sculptures, and a number of
drawings, engravings and lithographs, is situated in the E. wing
of the palace. Many of the pictures here are not inferior
in interest to those in the Louvre, where, however, they are
not exhibited until 10 years after the death of the artists.

The usual entrance is by a door (the first to the r.) within
the railing of the garden at the N.E. end: on Sundays and festivals
by the principal portal, opposite to the Rue de Tournon.

The most esteemed pictures are here enumerated. The dates
of the first exhibition of each picture are also given. The order
of the pictures is frequently changed; catalogue 75 c. The
visitor enters the Great Gallery and turns to the small apartment
to the r.

First Small Room:

In the centre: 227. Jouffroy, A young girl confiding her first
secret to the goddess of love, a group in marble: 1839. — Opposite
to the window: 155. Roqueplan, View of the Coast of
Normandy, a sea-piece; 1831. 245. Berchère, Twilight in Nubia;
1864. — To the l. of the entrance: 11. Beaume, Leaving Church;
1846. 83. Giroux, View of the Valley of Graisivaudan near Grenoble;
1834.

On the ceiling of the adjoining Great Gallery, the Rising
of Aurora by Callet (d. 1823), surrounded by twelve smaller paintings
by Jordaens, the pupil of Rubens, allegorical representations
of the signs of the zodiac. A number of modern sculptures
placed here possess little artistic merit.

On the wall by the door: 111. Jacquand, Last interview of
Charles I. of England with his children; 1855. Over the door:

135. Matout, Wife of Boghari slain by a lion; 1855.

Right Side:

129. Lehmann, Prometheus chained to the rock, and surrounded
by compassionate ocean nymphs; 1850.

124. Larivière, The plague in Rome under Pope Nicholas V.
1831.

152. R. Fleury, Jane Shore persecuted as a witch; 1850.

182. Horace Vernet, Meeting of Raphael and Michel Angelo in
the Vatican; 1833. "You are attended by a train like a
general's", says Michel Angelo. "And you are alone like
the hangman", readily responds Raphael.

261. Meissonnier, Napoleon III. at Solferino; 1864.

*9. Baudry, Fortune playing with a child; 1857.

*59. Paul Delaroche, The princes in the Tower of London; 1831.

43. Couture, The Romans of the Declining Empire; 1847.

34. Chassériau, Roman tepidarium, to which the Roman women
resorted after the bath; 1853.

*54. Eugène Delacroix, Dante and Virgil, conducted by Phlegyas,
crossing the Styx; among the guilty shades that endeavour
to enter the boat Dante recognises Florentines; 1822.

55. Delacroix, Greeks massacred by Turks in the island of Scio
(Chios); 1824.

57. Delacroix, Algerian Women; 1834.

*42. Court, Death of Cæsar; Mark Antony exhibiting the corpse
to the people; in the foreground Brutus and Cassius;
1827.

Lower End:

29. Brion. Pilgrims of St. Ottilia in Alsace; 1863.

Before inspecting the opposite side of the principal hall, the
visitor may now enter the

Third Room. In the centre:

Millet, Ariadne forsaken, a marble statue; 1857.

r. Duret, Improvisatore and fisher-boy dancing the Tarantella,
in bronze.

r.170. Schnetz (director of the French academy at Rome), Inundation;
1831.

289. Guillaumet, Evening Prayer in the Sahara; 1863.

6. Antigna, Conflagration; 1850.

15. Belly, Pilgrims on their journey to Mecca; 1862.

*19. Rosa Bonheur, Oxen ploughing; 1849.

21. Bouquereau, The body of St. Cecilia conveyed to the Catacombs;
1855.

27. Breton, Gleaners; 1859.

145. Odier, A wounded dragoon before Moscow, life-size; 1833.

*142 Müller, The names of the last victims of the Reign of
Terror before the fall of Robespierre (July 27th, 1794) are
read in the prison of the Luxembourg; the figures are all
portraits, among others those of the Princesse de Chimay
and Montalembert. 1850.

Returning to the Principal Hall.

Left Side:

50. Debay, Lucretia presented to the people in the marketplace;
1831.

102. Ingres (d. 1867), Peter receiving the keys of Heaven; 1820.

105. Ingres, Homer's Deification; 1827.

*104. Ingres, Cherubini and the Muse of Harmony; 1842.

103. Ingres, Roger liberates Angelica (from Ariosto); 1819.

171. Schnetz, Vow to the Madonna; 1831.

16. Benouville, St. Francis d'Assisi conveyed in a dying state to
the monastery of S. Maria degli Angeli; 1853.

94. Heim, Charles X. distributing prizes after the exhibition of
1824; 1827.

*151. Robert Fleury, Conference at Poissy (p. 220), assembled in
1561 by Catherine de Médicis and Charles IX., with a view
to adjust the differences between the Rom. Catholics and
Protestants; Theodore Beza, the well known reformer, acts
as spokesman for the latter. 1840.

93. Heim, Massacre of the Jews in the court of the Temple at
Jerusalem, 1824.

54. Detacroix, Jewish Wedding at Morocco; 1841.

*180. Horace Vernet, Marshal Moncey with the National Guard
defending the Barrière de Clichy at Paris against the Russians
(March 30th, 1814). The locality may still be recognised;
"Père Lathuille" is a restaurant to this day. 1820.

64. Devéria, Birth of Henry IV.; 1827.

Opposite to the entrance of the principal gallery, a glass-door
leads to a covered terrace, hung with drawings (portraits etc.).
The Rotunda contains Sculptures:

In the centre: Perraud, The infancy of Bacchus, a group in
marble; 1863. In the recesses of the windows: r. 222. Guillaume,
Anacreon; 1852. l. 214. Canelier, The mother of the Gracchi;
1861. — 229. Maillet, Agrippina and Caligula; 1853. Also several
busts.

In the Opposite Room:

Ingres, Designs for the stained glass windows of the chapel
at Dreux and St. Ferdinand's Chapel (p. 87). St. Ferdinand is
a portrait of the Duke of Orleans (d. 1842), St. Helena of the
duchess (d. 1858).

In the centre: 221. Gatteaux, Minerva after the decision of
Paris, a statue in bronze.

In the Room to the right:

In the centre: 219. Gaston Guitton, Leander; 1857. By the
windows: 231. Michael Pascal, Monks reading; 1847.

Opposite: Troyon, Landscape with cattle.

188. Zo, Blind man at Toledo 1863.

256. Lanoue, The Tiber at Acqua Acetosa, near Rome; 1864.

258. Leroux, Young mother of Brittany; 1864.

In the Room to the left:

Sculptures: 233. Moreau, The spinner; 1861. 215. Dumont,
Bust of a lady; 1844. 208. Aizelin, Psyche; 1863. 276. Leharivel-Durocher,
Reality and Appearance; 1861. 277. Montagny, St.
Louis of Gonzaga.

On the entrance-wall: 121. Landelle, Presentiment of the
Virgin; 1859.

77. Fromentin, Falcon-hunt in Algeria; 1863.

177. Tassaert, Misfortune; 1850.

Principal wall: 10. Beaume, Laying the foundation-stone of
the monument to Louis XVI. in the Place de la Concorde; 1827.

24. Brascassat, Landscape with cattle; 1845.

133. Lenepveu, The martyrs in the catacombs; 1855.

130. Leleux, Wedding in Brittany; 1863.

81. Giraud, Spanish dancers; 1853.

In the Following Room:

In the centre: 234. Nanteuil, Eurydice, a statue in marble;

1824. — On the walls:

248. Chaplin, Soap-bubbles; 1864.

174. Signol, Christ and the Adulteress; 1840.

125. Laugée, The artist Lesueur among the Carthusians; 1855.

137. Merle, Beggar-woman; 1861.

157. Rousseau, An unbidden guest; 1850.

40. Caubertin, Good Friday at Palermo; 1861.

In the Following Room:

In the centre: 225. Jaley, Prayer; 226. Same artist, Modesty;
statues in marble. On the walls:

198. David (Maxime), Three miniatures on ivory: Abdel-Kader
praying, as regent, and before the battle; 1853.

263. Penguilly-L'Haridon, Gamblers; 1847.

292. Meissonnier, Napoleon III. with his staff.

260. Marchal, Market in Alsace; 1864.

286. Duverger, Workman and his children; 1865.

The Garden on the S. side of the palace, open daily till
dusk, upwards of 1000 yds. in length and 600 yds. in breadth,
is admirably laid ont and contains tastefully kept flower-beds
and delightful walks. The S. portion is, however, now intersected
by two new streets, which are rapidly approaching completion
and unfortunately diminish the area as well as the attractions
of the garden. It is adorned by a number of statues and
sculptures, principally modern, among which may be mentioned
the 20 statues of celebrated women arranged along the terrace.
These are as follows, commencing on the E. side: 1. Bathilde,

consort of Clovis II.; 2. Bertha, consort of Pepin (by Oudiné);
3. Queen Hudrogote; 4. Ste. Geneviève; 5. Mary Stuart; 6. Jeanne
d'Albret, mother of Henry IV.; 7. Clémence Isaure, foundress of
the "Jeux Floraux" at Toulouse (by Préault); 8. Mlle. de Montpensier
(d. 1693), grand-daughter of Henry IV. and heroine of
the Fronde, who herself fired the cannons of the Bastille on the
troops of Louis XIV. (by Demesmay); 9. Louise de Savoye, mother
of Francis I.; 10. Joan of Arc (by Rude).

On the W. side: 11. Laure de Noves (d. 1348), the celebrated
Laura of Petrarch; 12. Marie de Médicis, second consort of
Henry IV.; 13. Margaret of Valois, first consort of Henry IV.;
14. Valentine de Milan, wife of the Duke of Orleans, second son
of Charles V.; 15. Anne de Beaujeu, daughter of Louis XI., regent
of France during the minority of Charles VIII.; 16. Bianca
of Castille, consort of Louis VIII.; 17. Anne of Austria, consort
of Louis XIII.; 18. Anne of Bretagne, consort of Charles VIII. and
of Louis XII.; 19. Margaret of Provence; 20. Clotilde consort of
Clovis I.

The grass-plot to the N.E. is adorned with a group of Adam
and his Family, by Garauld, a statue of Archidamas about to
throw the disc, by Lemaire, Diana of Versailles, the Borghese
Gladiator etc.

At the sides of the large basin, on pedestals of Italian marble,
David with the sword, and a Nymph, an Italian work of the
16th cent.

At the S. end of the garden is situated the Botanic Garden
of the Ecole de Médecine, towards the E., and the Pépinière or
nursery-garden towards the W.: the latter is adorned with a statue
of Velleda, the celebrated Germanic prophetess (A. D. 70), by
Maindron.

The S. issue of the garden is in the Allée de l'Observatoire,
in which, to the l., is situated Ney's Statue, cast in bronze from
a design by Rude, and standing on the precise spot where
(Dec. 7th, 1815) the unfortunate marshal was shot in accordance
with the sentence pronounced on the previous day by the Chamber
of Peers in the Luxembourg. The figure is in a commanding
attitude, but the features are open to criticism.

At the extremity of the Allée rise the extensive buildings
of the Observatoire, founded in 1672, the interior of which is
accessible on the first Sunday of each month at 3 p. m., and
then only by special permission of the director M. Le Verrier.
Through the centre of this establishment runs the meridian
of Paris.