I fell in love with this Sphinx! Really stunning. I came across it by chance while walking in front of the Hotel de Salm, a former Hotel particulier (a private house generally built by rich aristocrats before the 18th cetury, mostly) that is now the Musée de la Légion d'Honneur (a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802). I did not go inside, but I will. I find it very peaceful; perfect for a summer Sunday in quiet Paris ;-)
isn't the museum opposite the Musee d'orsay? Must pay more attention to the surroundings on my next visit
ReplyDeleteLooks like a beautiful day in Paris. Interesting statue.
ReplyDeleteKris
Interesting! It looks distinctly female, but I've always thought of sphinxes as male, for some reason. Nice find.
ReplyDeleteEric
ReplyDeleteIt is a very interesting museum. Went in on a Sunday afternoon and spent three hours inside. It is a;so free :-)
She's a lovely sphinx and I like the way you've framed her, with the two buildings seeming to angle toward her as if to point in her direction.
ReplyDeleteWhat I especially love is knowing that one can live in Paris as long as you have and still come upon discoveries.
She is truly beautiful. I especially admire the cat-tail laurel wreath she is wearing. I also appreciate how you captured the busts of the Roman Generals watching over her from their niches in the mansion walls, Eric.
ReplyDeleteLovely. Can't wait to see what little jewels you find for us every day, Eric. And buzzgirl said what I was thinking...Have I ever seen a female Sphinx before?
ReplyDeleteI love her face. Could she be a sister to our Statue of Liberty lady? She has the same strong dignity.
ReplyDeleteWill be in Paris for a week with my husband in Sept. and I am enjoying you site so much...It is making me aware of all there is to see just in walking the city. I have not visited in many years.
Love that statue, I have a picture of my wife standing face to face with it. I've always wondered about the statues history or story. Great picture Eric, thank you.
ReplyDeleteBeen in the 7th quite a bit lately?
I love that neighborhood.
Ditto, Petrea - if Paris can surpise Eric, then she's truly unequalled! I can't wait to spend 3 hours in this museum!! And, I agree, this is a pretty sphinxy specimen, with her cat-tails, ready-to-pounce muscles and a bemused (perhaps hungry?) look on her face as she mulls over the visitors on their way in. (I was under the impression that all sphinxes were female, but I may be wrong.) Let's hope she stays satisfied sitting on her stone pedestal. ; )
ReplyDeletePS: There are some very nice photos and info on the French and English Wiki entries for the Hotel de Salm/Musee de la Legion d'Honneur.
ReplyDeleteTrue what several of you noticed (hey Buzzgitrl ;-)), I too was surprised to see a female sphinx.
ReplyDeleteWell, once again, PDP teaches me something new every day! I wikipedia'd sphinx and found I'd I'd seen many male sphinxes but I'd been interpreting all those male sphinxes as female all my life - having learned about the female one first! Who knew? Thanks, everyone. : )
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