The Garden of the Hôtel Biron at the Rodin Museum, an exquisite setting for the Rodin Rose
« Nature is as arousing as a lover, as caring as a mother. She shows that beauty is everywhere and in everything. She is just as beautiful at dawn, at noon and in the evening because she incarnates harmony and equilibrium, in one word, she is life. » A. Rodin
The Rodin Rose On 27 June 2005, the RODIN Rose &Mac226; Var. Meigadraz, created by Meilland, will be officially baptised by Mrs. Chaban-Delmas in the garden of the Rodin Museum. The Rodin rose originates from the American rosebush Knock-Out &Mac226; Var. Radrazz, which is flourishing with great success in the USA, and has won an AARS and a ADR, two of the most sought-after awards in the world of roses.
700 rosebushes have been planted on the southern terrace around the Hôtel Biron. This luxuriant rosebush bears numerous flowers of a Tyrian purple. Being highly resistant to diseases, it is ideal for planting in massifs and borders.
A little anecdote: the companion of Rodin who he married at the end of his life, was called … Rose!
« What is beautiful in a landscape is what is beautiful in architecture, it is the air; this is what nobody judges, the depth. » excerpt from F. Coquiot, “Rodin à l’hôtel Biron et à Meudon"
The Garden of the Hôtel Biron The garden of the Hôtel Biron, as it is laid out today, in no way resembles what it was like when Rodin lived there. It was his secretary, the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who discovered this enchanting spot in 1908. “My dear friend, you should see this fine building … Its three bay windows have a fantastic view of an abandoned garden, where rabbits can be seen from time to time jumping through the trellises like in an old tapestry.” Rodin loved this tangle of plants and moved into the mansion on the 15th of October of the same year.
The rose garden in front of The Gates of Hell was planted as far back as the 1920’s, shortly after the museum was inaugurated. The Rodin rose is therefore the continuation of a long tradition.
A Brief History The garden was laid out from 1732 onwards for Mme de Moras, the widow of the man who built the private mansion. In 1754, it was redesigned for the Maréchal de Biron. All the parterres and groves were retained but they were outlined by decorative borders, clipped box trees, garlands and arabesques. A Chinese pavilion and green arbours were added, and festivities and receptions succeeded each other. The garden had reached the peak of its glory. But it fell into decline in the 19th century with the arrival of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart in 1820. The garden was covered with buildings and it was during this period that the neo-Gothic chapel, currently being restored, was built.
When Rodin discovered this place in 1908, other artists were living in it, including Isadora Duncan, Henri Matisse and Jean Cocteau. The State purchased the property in 1910 and Rodin donated all his works to France. The Rodin Museum opened its doors in 1919, two years after the great artist died. It was not until 1926 that the garden was restored: more than 8,000 tulip bulbs were offered by Holland, the tradition of the Maréchal de Biron was revived, and the garden recovered its original 18th century aspect.
In 1993, the landscape architect Jacques Sgard decided to respect the classical layout of the garden (lawn, pond, and rows of lindens) but transformed the two big parterres into thematic circuits for intimate walks. A fine aesthetic and poetic balance was achieved. The first parterre, the Garden of Orpheus, provides an appropriate setting for the mythological poet and musician, surrounded by symbolic plants growing in a rock garden of millstone. Bubbling springs run through the profusion of water plants, mosses and grasses in the parterre on the western side. The long central perspective of the garden leads to a semi-circular arbour that conceals a playground for children and an area for relaxing in deckchairs.
A Sculpture Garden Bronzes by Rodin are scattered along the walks of the garden. At the entrance, visitors are welcomed by the monumental Gates of Hell; The Thinker, the symbolic figure of the artist, dominates the rose garden; the grove is inhabited by The Burghers of Calais; Ugolino devours his children in the middle of the ornamental pond; and Orpheus can be discovered just round the corner from a copse, emerging from a mass of greenery.
