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It has a roll-off-the-tongue lilt to it: Musee D'Orsay. The art is terrific. The building inside, jaw-droppingly beautiful. The carvings on the facade, intricate and detailed and bearing up well to the passage of time. But where did the name Orsay come from?
Well, yes, from the quai on La Seine immediately along-side. But ... so the chap who headed the committee to create the quai in 1707 was one Charles Boucher, Lord of Orsay which is about 25km to the SW of Paris in the Chevreuse Valley. I gather from reading the museum history that there was only a station on the site from 1900 to 1939. The renovated buiding opened its doors as a museum in December 1986.
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15 comments:
Bonjour Julie - love the close up of that wonderful clock - and the background info about the name Orsay - I'm so... enjoying your beautiful Parisian pics. Keep safe.
I love the carved stonework and your shot of the clock is super!
What a wonderful clock and sculpture. The relief of the entwined serpents topped by the reclined lion is amazing.
We didn't make it there when we were in Paris. Very jealous. And all these lovely pictures makes me want to go back. :)
A great site, the queues were long the day I was there. Perhaps we could make one of our old stations a museum?
Yes, the queues were long on the day of my visit in 2008. We have the old powerhouse as a museum (although D'Orsay is really an art gallery), and we have the old water board building down at the Quay which is now the Museum of Contemporary Art. I think we have the places in situ ... just not enough people to visit them. I think the Liebowitz exhibit however, shows that the crowds will come if the exhibit is good enough.
Now I am jealous ... it is such a great gallery to visit. If course I missed the details of the facade, too busy seeing all of Paris in a few days ,,, which is of course impossible.
ditto of Joan's comment. The clock shot is super and the building detail is so European. Enjoy the museum, lucky duck.
often the answer to such questions leads the asker on an interesting odyssey of discovery.
Your shot of the D'Orsay clock is probably the best that I have seen... so glad that you are having fund and we know that your camera is in heaven!
Will you be there next week when I arrive?
Bises,
Genie
LOVE the close up of the clock!!! Thanks for visiting and commenting on MammothLakesDP!!! I was so surprised given your wonderful visit to Paris!!! Hope the rest of your trip is fabulous!!!
♥I Love your blog♥
I have tons of time here in Paris. More than I have at home!! This is one of the reasons I have come to Paris for so long. To carve out time for reading and writing, as well as blogging and photography.
Julie, your eye delights me always but especially when you are in Paris. I agree, the best detail of the clock yet.
Bravo.
V
It really is superb.
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