Maison de Balzac, JJ Grandville

Balzac’s Coffee Pot

HONORÉ DE BALZAC was known for drinking up to 50 cups (demitasse) of coffee daily while he wrote endless novels.

  'Yesterday, I worked 19 hours and today I shall have to work 20 or 22. Copy is my master, 16 or 20 pages a day are required, and I write them and correct them.Le Constitutional has exhausted my provision, and they must have more. I've not left my desk.' Passy 75016, 30 October, 1846

On Sunday I went back to visit the Maison de Balzac .Seven years to the day give or take. 'Dernier Jours'/last days (as they love to threaten on the posters in Paris) for the JJ Grandville exhibit. I was hoping to catch the metro. No way. Instead I discovered the fabulous Bus 72 that passes a multitude of top museums (Louvre, MAD, Grand Palais, Petit Palais, Guimet, MOMA, Palais de Tokyo, Galieni) and runs every 8 minutes! It stops near Maison Balzac, one of The Little(r) Museums of Paris.

A facsimile of Balzac's study. 

His immense head with unruly hair inspired Rodin and other artists.

One room is filled with plaster castes of the exquisite line engravings made by engraver Charles Huard of every character from Balzac's La Comédie humaine 

1000 characters in over a hundred books.

The Grandville exhibit was downstairs and quite crowded. Renown for his anthropomorphic drawings of human figures with animal heads bearing human expressions. 

I love this benign lion getting his mane combed, a lap dog sits placidly. Meanwhile on the wall an engraving of a lion snatching a small child. Not so benign. 

Many of his cartoons made outrageous political commentary until government censure laws were issued in 1835. 

Then he moved on to book illustration and collaborated with Balzac on a number of projects.

Early days my own drawings were deeply influenced by 19th century satirical artists; Thomas Rowlandson, George Cruikshank, Grandville, Dore. 

I crosshatched with a crowquill pen point and hand-colored with watercolor 19th century style. By the way, the museum has been renovated since I last visited 7 years ago. Now they have a gift shop and a branch of Rose Bakery where you can grab a healthy lunch and their famous Carrot cake. I did. Coming home on Bus 72, the route is scenic with plenty of closeup Eiffel Tower views. Hop on just for the ride across Paris if you like 👍🏻 THANK YOU❤️ PBers for your generous contributions to WIRES❤️👏 Please share PB with a friend and consider receiving Parisbreakfast in your real mailbox 📮 as well. Cheers 

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Maison de Balzac



Walking around in the rain on New Years day I stumbled on Rodin's famed sculpture of French writer, Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850) in a bathrobe on bd Montparnasse.

New Year's resolution #1 - finally visit Balzac's musee!

It’s set back from rue Raynouard at # 47 in the village of Passy (Metro:Passy) 75016. It's about two steps from the Eiffel Tower yet has a country feel in the middle of Paris. And it's free.

Balzac's writing room with his original writing desk. Each room has a specific theme with bilingual commentary.

Many, many sculptures, busts and portraits of Balzac and family members. Did Balzac ever uncross his arms?

Quotations everywhere, many from the letters of Madame Hanska, Balzac's wife of a mere 5 months but devoted correspondent of over 20 years. Evidently Balzac worked nonstop.
This one says, "To work, I get up every night at midnight, write for 8 hours, lunch for a quarter of an hour, work another 5 hours, eat diner, then go to bed and begin again the day after".

One whole room is filled with line drawings made by engraver Charles Huard of every character from La Comédie humaine (1000 characters in over a hundred books!)

Another room contains facsimilies of Balzac's manuscripts. Sometimes a single page was rewritten 16 times!

In the same room this tres charmante lamp with Balzac's handwriting on it.

Also highly covetable - the cafetière de Balzac/ Balzac’s coffee pot. Who wouldn't give their right arm for this stunner?

Not a cafetière from Balzac's home but seen in an antique shop, Aux présents du passé at 50, rue de l'assomption 75016

As was the DOG OF THE DAY at the same shop.

Voila! The entire dollhouse tableaux in Aux présents du passé's vitrine.

Paris has at least a dozen free museums like the Maison de Balzac. Many as intimate and charming as the Balzac and every one offers guides to the others like Victor Hugo's home or the Cognacq-Jay. I usually bypass these for the bigger shows but now I'd like to hit as many as possible. Pourquoi pas?