There is a small but fascinating museum in the Marais district in Paris, called Musee de la Chasse & de la Nature. It is an intriguing mixture of taxidermy, hunting, art and nature. The private museum was founded in 1964 by wealthy French industrialist Francois Sommer and his wife Jacqueline who were avid hunters and conservationists, which seems a bit of a contradiction to me.
The museum has 3 themes, hunting weapons, trophies of hunting and artistic representations of wildlife and hunting.
Fortunately I was allowed to take photos. Take a look. This place is amazing!!!
Even if you have no interest in hunting this place is fascinating. The rooms are beautifully put together in the most unexpected ways, at times slightly menacing and at others, delightful.
Don’t miss it if you go to Paris.
Musee de la Chasse & de la Nature. 62, rue Des Archives, in the Marais district. You could go to Le Pain Quotidien for breakfast before you go. It is not far down the street.
Fascinating, Deb, though kind of sad to see all of those amazing creatures dead and stuffed. Great photos!
Kathy
By: Kathryn McCullough on December 27, 2011
at 12:22 am
I think so too. It would be better to see them in the wild. I can only hope that they died of natural causes, but then, there were guns on display as well.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 27, 2011
at 12:24 am
ghoulish and strangely fascinating all at the same time. Those light fixtures were beautiful. they weren’t made from teeth or anything were they?.. c
By: ceciliag on December 27, 2011
at 12:47 am
I hope there were no teeth involved!
By: Debra Kolkka on December 27, 2011
at 3:48 am
What an incredible place. Thanks for the tip off. I would love to have a sticky beak in there.
By: Liz Golding on December 27, 2011
at 12:53 am
Be careful, that sticky beak might just end up as a display!
By: Debra Kolkka on December 27, 2011
at 4:13 am
Just a bit creepy… I agree with you about the Sommers; a contradiction if there ever was one. The pictures look vivid!
By: Marcia Clarke on December 27, 2011
at 12:56 am
It wasn’t creepy, but some of the displays were disturbing and slightly sinister. Each room was different and equally fascinating.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 27, 2011
at 4:14 am
Those beautiful animals and all those guns, mmmmm.
There is a stately home I think it is called Werribee House ( south of Melbourne with a similar display.
Cheers Judy
By: Judy on December 27, 2011
at 1:20 am
I will check it out next time I go to Melbourne, thanks for the tip.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 27, 2011
at 4:15 am
oh dear i must be in the non cleaning mood… hahah … all i could think of was all that dusting that would have to be needed to keep the items dust and cobweb free…. but a real interesting collection of items… V
By: realme07 on December 27, 2011
at 1:58 am
I’m with you. I don’t know how keen I would be to dust the Rhino’s nose on a regular basis.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 27, 2011
at 4:16 am
Hope those animals weren’t killed in the name of sport…….. It’s the one sport I will never understand, and I don’t have much respect for people who partake in such horrible action, for no other reason but their own weird pleasure. Sorry. The museum however beautiful.
By: kirsi sade on December 27, 2011
at 4:46 am
I’m hoping they died quietly in their sleep when they were quite old and they were preserved for posterity and to show us how beautiful they are and how much we should look after them.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 27, 2011
at 4:49 am
Fascinating and troubling all at the same time…
Thanks for sharing, Deb…
By: Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial on December 27, 2011
at 7:13 am
It would be nice to think that people no longer hunt for sport, but this is wishful thinking. Regardless of the background, the museum is fascinating.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 27, 2011
at 9:15 am
Oh dear Debra, you forgot me in there 🙂 I am still in this museum… So beautiful, Thank you, with my love, nia
By: niasunset on December 27, 2011
at 9:37 am
Even though some of the subjects are a little confronting, this museum is beautiful.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 27, 2011
at 9:46 am
I am with Kirsi on that above comment .and yes it does look to be beautiuflly presented. Would put it on the must do list next time for Paris because whatever you have recommended over the years is always just so interesting
Di
By: dianne Cant on December 28, 2011
at 6:19 am
The museum is much lovelier than you would imagine. Some of the displays are exquisite.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 28, 2011
at 7:05 am
We go there every visit to Paris and usually find an artist in residence or a special contemporary show on, was anything special on when you went?Jeff Koons white ceramic dog on a sideboard was also a nice touch. Roz
By: Roz on December 29, 2011
at 12:12 am
There was nothing extra that I know of. I loved this museum even though I have no interest in hunting. I thought it was beautiful.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 29, 2011
at 1:21 am
I love quirky museums. There’s one in Milan, the Bagatti Valsecchi, which is a home, built in 1800’s as an ode to the Renaissance period. Everything was therefore either salvaged from Renaissance period homes, or made as an exact replica. So essentially you tour the preserved home of a 19th century person who was in turn preserving and living in his own historical past.
By: Shelagh Meagher on December 29, 2011
at 7:16 pm
Thanks for the excellent tip. I will go when I am next in Milan. Palazzo Davanzati in Florence is also a wonderful old house with bit persevered from the past. I find it fascinating and go regularly when I go to Florence. I did a post on it.
By: Debra Kolkka on December 29, 2011
at 9:28 pm