Marie, who grew up an orphan in the magnificent Pitti Palace in Florence, was the richest heiress in Europe.

Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu better known as Cardinal Richelieu, was Louis XIII ’s right hand man for the eighteen years prior to the Cardinal’s death. He was sixteen years older than the King.

In this portrait of Gaston of Orléans, he is wearing the crown of a prince of the blood an elaborate lace jabot and an ornate doublet.

Sandy invented the mobile. His kinetic sculptures, delicately balanced, suspended shapes move in response to touch or air currents.

Sculpted by world famous Surrealist, Max Ernst, The Baby turtle Hatchlings. were born almost sixty years ago to adorn the basin of his wonderful Fountain in Amboise.

I find the bronze sculpture, ‘Danseuse’ on display in Tours Musée des Beaux Arts mysterious.

One of the reasons, apart from the usual displacement activities, it takes so long to write a book is because of the rabbit holes the writer tumbles down along the way, often because of accidentally stumbling over just one sentence read somewhere or other a long time ago.

You can visit the house where Max Ernst lived in Huismes and Sandy Calder’s Studio in Saché. Both villages about an hour’s drive from Amboise.