ART

A dilapidated 19th-century villa in Paris this week became a museum dedicated to preserving and re-creating the “romantic life of yesteryear.” The Museum of Romantic Life, not far from Pigalle and the Moulin Rouge and tucked away at the end of an unpaved, ivy-covered alley, opened with an exhibit on George Sand. It features a re-creation of her living room, decorated with family portraits, etchings and period furniture, plus dozens of knickknacks, jewelry, letters and even snippets of her baby curls framed under glass. Located at 16 Rue Chaptal, the small two-story house is known as the Renand-Scheffer, after two of its most famous inhabitants, historian Ernest Renand and painter Ary Scheffer. It was built in 1830 and classified as a historical monument in the 1950s to ensure that it would survive a development boom that saw the demise of many unprotected landmarks.