Magic at the Gallery of Compared Anatomy

Magic at the Gallery of Compared Anatomy

For the writer Paul Claudel, The Gallery of Compared Anatomy was « rien de moins que [le] plus beau musée de Paris […]. À chacun de mes passages en France, je reviens visiter cette galerie sublime avec un sentiment de vénération religieuse, qui chaque fois, me donne envie d’enlever non seulement mon chapeau mais aussi mes chaussures. » 

One of the most unusual museums you’ll see in Paris, the Gallery of Compared Anatomy and Paleontology, part of the Muséum first opened in 1898. They have an exceptional collection of skeletons (as well as organs) of all the terrestrial and marine creatures known to man, displayed as if they were marching all together towards the end of the earth. It is impressive all these bones in one place and it allows the comparison of sizes, forms and means of locomotion of these creatures. Look at a giraffe next to a horse, next to a cat and understand what they share and what makes them different. Upstairs is the paleontology gallery with skeletons and moulds of creatures and dinosaurs from the past. The Gallery of Compared Anatomy is itself a sort of museum of museums as the displays are in age old cases and described by faded handwritten cards which seem to date from the creation of the museum in the 19th century. The stone and metal building which is 80 meters long, hasn’t been renovated since forever and therein lies its charm. It still has original furnishings, large old windows, parquet flooring and wrought iron banisters with leaves and iris from days gone by. Another unusual aspect of this museum is that because of the large windows the natural light changes throughout the day giving the viewer different perspectives and bringing different aspects to the forefront each time you round a corner. This gallery and its magic also recently inspired author Anthony Doerr who in All the Light We Cannot See, his bestseller about WWII, made it the heroine Marie-Laure’s father’s workplace. Visiting the Gallery while reading the book was a rich visual aspect to a story about a blind girl.

The Gallery is worth a visit anytime for children, history buffs, the science-oriented and those who love to draw.

« Si l’homme ne peut lire dans l’avenir, et c’est là une des plus dures épreuves de sa destinée, il peut essayer de lire dans le passé. » — Albert Gaudry, titulaire de la chaire de paléontologie et promoteur des idées évolutionnistes en France

12 octobre 2021 10 h 14 min

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