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Origin and history

The Château de Saché, built in the 15th century as a châtellenie dependent on Bouchard Island, preserves medieval remains including a cylindrical tower and moat. Transformed in the Renaissance and then in the 17th and 18th centuries by additions of wings, it was profoundly reshaped in the 19th century by Jean de Margonne, who introduced romantic comfort. This preserved setting, between woodwork Directoire and wallpapers of the period, became the haven of peace where Honoré de Balzac wrote a part of La Comédie humaine, including Le Lys in the valley and Le Fr. Goriot, between 1825 and 1848.

Balzac, fleeing his Parisian creditors and seeking silence for his long writing sessions (12 to 16 hours a day), made a dozen stays there. The estate, with its centuries-old oaks and its valley of Indre, served as a setting for its novels and as a place of convalescence upon the order of its doctor. Jean de Margonne, owner of the premises and friend of the Balzac family, organized parts of whist and walks there, while his wife, Anne Savary, had an ambiguous relationship with the writer's mother.

Acquired in 1926 by Paul Métadier, the castle was transformed into a museum in 1951 by his son, Bernard-Paul, who reconstructed fictional interiors from the novels (Château de Clochegourde, boudoir de Foedora) and preserved Balzac's room, with its congested office and creton bed. Ranked Historic Monument in 1932 (registration) and then 1983 (partial classification), the site was given to the Department of Indre-et-Loire in 1958. It now houses 2,300 pieces, including manuscripts, prints and sculptures by Rodin, and benefits from Maisons des Illustres (2011) and Musée de France labels.

The two-hectare park, crossed by a seasonal torrent, offers a view of the valley that inspired Le Lys directly into the valley. Balzac described there "a vast fold of land lined with oaks two centuries old", a melancholic setting where he drew inspiration. The collections, enriched in 2015 by the National Furniture, restore the atmosphere of the Balzac salons, with their silverware, porcelain vases and Louis XIV chairs.

The history of the museum began in the 1930s, when Paul Métadier planned to make it a writer's residence. His son, passionate about Balzac, opted for an immersive museum centered on the spirit of the place rather than on the accumulation of objects. Inaugurated in 1951 in the presence of Georges Duhamel, the museum was enlarged in the 1970s to secure the building and develop exhibition spaces. Today, he perpetuates Balzac's memory through his furniture, original editions and literary reconstructions, while remaining anchored in the landscape of the Loire castles.

Collection

Le château-musée Balzac vous plonge dans l'atmosphère du 19e siècle grâce à un parcours ses belles pièces meublées et ses des salles d'exposition des collections permanentes. Vous y découvrez ans les rapports romantiques qu'Honoré de Balzac entretenait avec ce lieu.

Les collections du musée Balzac sont impressionnantes et représentent environ 2300 pièces (sculptures, peintures, imprimés, manuscrits, estampes, dessins, photographies, matériel d'imprimerie, mobilier). Ces collections ont été principalement constituées grâce aux six donations de la famille Métadier et de Bernard-Paul Métadier au Conseil général d'Indre-et-Loire.

Le fonds Samueli (collectionneur passionné), acquis par le Conseil général d'Indre-et-Loire, comprend notamment toutes les oeuvres de jeunesse que Balzac a publiées sous des pseudonymes divers, et la quasi-totalité des premières éditions des romans et nouvelles de Balzac, de très beaux exemplaires illustrés, des éditions collectives, des préfaçons et contrefaçons belges et hollandaises.

A voir également : des tableaux, des sculptures, des estampes, du matériel d'imprimerie...

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