Among the figures that best embody France of the Ancien Régime and have left invaluable descriptions, Madame de Sévigné holds a very special place. How can we not think of her immoderate taste for writing, which led her to maintain an extensive and continuous correspondence, not only with her daughter Françoise, but also with an important network of correspondents throughout a kingdom then at its peak? To mention the name Sévigné is to bring back to life a woman whose spirit and beauty, unanimously recognized, were widely celebrated by her contemporaries and by the personalities who made the French Grand Siècle. To speak today of this exuberant marquise is also to perpetuate the memory of a woman of heart and commitment, involved in an uncommon maternal role in her time, driven by a solid artistic and literary culture. The monument that her delightful correspondence represents, partially published several decades after her death on the initiative of her granddaughter Pauline de Simiane, led her – despite herself – into a pantheon of great authors that was until then predominantly male.
This temporary exhibition aims to appreciate this subject from a new and unknown perspective: the descendants of Madame de Sévigné. The goal is to shed light, through her great moments and multiple profiles, on the creation of an image – and perhaps even an unparalleled legend. From spring to autumn 2024, the exhibition will bring together more than fifty major works, from both renowned public institutions and great private collections, sometimes even from the descendants of Madame de Sévigné who have never before presented them to the public. A didactic scenography, with baroque accents, will showcase invaluable works, including some of the few surviving autograph letters. This temporary exhibition aims to appreciate this subject from a new and unknown perspective: the descendants of Madame de Sévigné. The goal is to shed light, through her great moments and multiple profiles, on the creation of an image – and perhaps even an unparalleled legend. From spring to autumn 2024, the exhibition will bring together more than fifty major works, from both renowned public institutions and great private collections, sometimes even from the descendants of Madame de Sévigné who have never before presented them to the public. A didactic scenography, with baroque accents, will showcase invaluable works, including some of the few surviving autograph letters.
