Help us restore Tante Léonie's garden!

The Société des Amis de Proust has just launched a major subscription campaign to fund the recreation of two sculptures that once stood in the garden of Jules Amiot, Marcel Proust's uncle (now the garden of the "Maison de Tante Léonie - Musée Marcel Proust"). These two figures, a shepherd and a shepherdess, which the author, then a child, may have seen, are known to us only through the photographs that have survived of the garden from that period.

In the form of large santons, both sculptures have a highly original character. Next spring, when the completion of the renovation works currently overseen by the Conseil départemental d'Eure-et-Loir allows the museum to reopen, these statues, placed at the start of the visit, will be among the first historical and authentic items presented to future visitors.

Using the two period photographs, a mould of the statues will be made, which will then allow these two original pieces to be recreated. The financial target of this fundraising appeal is significant (25,000 euros), but naturally every contribution counts, even the most modest. Each donation qualifies for a tax reduction under current tax rules (two-thirds of the amount donated is deductible from income tax).