Rodin jardin

The last garden I visited in Paris was the sculpture garden at the Musee Rodin. I made a strategic mistake in visiting the indoor museum first and then the special exhibition, so by the time I saw the sculpture garden, I had already viewed work by Rodin for 4 hours.


I had saved the best for last, but by that time, I was no longer at my best.

The museum and garden are near the dome of Les Invalides, where Napolean is buried.

The museum is housed in an old mansion that Rodin had used as his studio. At the time, the house was run down and the garden was a wild mixture of brambles and apple trees and rabbits. The house became a museum in 1911 and garden was refurbished in 1993.


The central part of the garden is arranged formally, with a long parterre of grass, centered on the Rodin museum, and with a shallow pool of water. This arrangement is similar to other formal gardens in Paris.


In the center of the pool is a work by Rodin named Ugolino. It looks like a man wrestling, but the legend of Count Ugolino is more sinister. His enemies locked him in a tower with his sons, and starved them to death. In this sculpture, "Count Cannibal" sets upon his children.

Two small ducks sleeping together on the base of this sculpture are unaware of the legend.

To the sides of the formal garden are generous shrub borders. The blue-flowerd Ceanothus was in full bloom, which I had previously only seen in photographs. Commonly known as the California lilac, this plant is native to the U.S.





The oak leaf hydrangea is native to North Carolina, where the foliage is a deep rich green.





There are many famous bronze sculptures in the garden. The Thinker has been at the museum since 1922.


He could be thinking, "Why do they trim the trees so tightly? They would be more beautiful in their natural shape."

Balzac, famous man of letters, stands in a grassy clearing in dappled sunlight. Victor Hugo stands in another part of the garden. Both pieces were rejected by the art establishment at the time and both are considered masterpieces today.

Other famous sculptures in the garden include the Burghers of Calais and the Gates of Hell. The Kiss is located in the museum building.