Sentier des Brillants

Hidden on a hillside in Meudon, overlooking the Seine, lies the Sentier des Brillants. This path leads to a lesser-known treasure, La Villa des Brillants, also known as the other Musée Rodin. Rodin, seeking refuge from the bustling city of Paris, acquired this unassuming neo-Louis XIII style villa in 1894. It quickly transformed into his sanctuary, a place where his creativity flourished. The Sentier des Brillants became his daily walk, a path where he pondered his masterpieces. Rodin filled La Villa des Brillants with his plaster casts, some curiously placed within a four-poster bed. The gardens, extending down the hillside, became an extension of his studio. He scattered antiquities and sculptures among the greenery, creating an open-air museum. Notable figures like King Edward VII and poet Rainer Maria Rilke visited Rodin at La Villa des Brillants. Rilke described the mesmerizing effect of the white sculptures gleaming behind glass doors, like “fauna in an aquarium”. Rodin’s tomb rests in this garden, marked by “The Thinker”, a poignant tribute overlooking the Seine. While the Hôtel Biron in Paris holds much of Rodin’s collection, La Villa des Brillants, accessed via the Sentier des Brillants, offers a glimpse into his personal world, a hidden gem brimming with his creative spirit.