As everyone knows, the Musée du Louvre has a huge collection of art and artifacts. In addition, the building itself is a work of art.
This blog post represents many visits to the Musée du Louvre. Because we have an annual pass, we have often visited the museum during Year 4, typically selecting two or three areas of the museum to explore. Without further ado, here is a photographic compilation of many hours spent in the Musée du Louvre.
The museum has a lot of sculpture in its collection. One of the Louvre's best-known sculptures is from ancient Greece. It is known as Winged Victory of Samothrace.
Another well-known ancient sculpture is the Venus de Milo.
Another ancient sculpture depicts the goddess Juno. We wondered whether Auguste Bartholdi once viewed the sculpture and was inspired to create the Statue of Liberty
The sculpture below is interesting, if you take a close look.
The Louvre's collection includes sculptures from all over the ancient world, including Persia, Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Jean-Claude liked the Egyptian sculpture below because it reminded him of works by the Swiss modern sculptor Alberto Giacometti.
Marie-Chantal, because she is an attorney, especially enjoyed seeing the actual Code of Hammurabi.
One of the most popular artifacts is the blue Hippopotamus. (The gift shop sells many replicas.)
In addition to ancient sculpture and artifacts, the Louvre's collection includes some more recent works.
Below is a replica of a 17th century equestrian statue depicting French King Louis XIV. It once stood in the nearby Place Vendome. During the Revolution, the original was destroyed, like most of the statues of Louis XIV.
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| Louis XIV by Francois Girardon (before 1704) |
One "small" part of the statue was saved, the left foot.
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| Napoleon I in Triumph by Francois Frederic Lemot (1808) |
Rather than being decorated with the royal fleur de lys favored by countless French kings, Napoleon favored bees on ceremonial clothing. Why bees? Napoleon rejected the fleur de lys because he wanted to distance himself from the kings. He instead adopted the bee symbol to create a link to the beginnings of France. During the Merovingian dynasty of 5th-8th centuries, the bee was a favored image.
Jean-Claude is fascinated by the legend and depictions of Saint George. Below is an example from 1509.
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| Altarpiece, Saint George slaying the dragon by Michel Colombe (1509) (from Gaillon, northwest of Paris) |
Jean-Claude is likewise fascinated with the story of Saint Martin and the Beggar. Below is a lovely depiction from the 1600's.
The Louvre is home to many paintings, including well-known masterpieces like da Vinci's Mona Lisa. One of Jean-Claude's favorite paintings in the Louvre depicts a 30-something Napoleon.
It's time for a Pop Quiz. What is the porcelain artifact pictured below?
The Louvre is a very large building, Like Rome, the Louvre was not built in a day. It took about 700 years to construct the Louvre, from the late 1100's to 1880. The old Louvre was a fortress next to the Seine river along the western defensive wall of Paris. (The word Louvre probably means fortress or castle.)
Starting in the mid-1500's, the old Louvre was mostly torn down and replaced with the new Louvre, a stately palace, most of which survived to become the world's largest museum. (The Louvre also houses a second museum and a school.) The new Louvre was built in more than 20 phases. Our friend Bill Mako shared the chart below, which identifies the various parts constructed over time.
Because the Louvre was once a palace, it is ornately decorated. One example is the sunburst pictured below, which represents both the sun god Apollo and the Sun King Louis XIV.
The old Louvre was not entirely destroyed. The lower walls of the moat, fortress and keep were left in the ground when the new Louvre was constructed in the 1500's. Thanks to excavation in the 1980's, visitors can walk through the ancient moat of the old Louvre.
Above the old Louvre is a large grand square. Since the square is in Paris, it is used for events such as twice yearly Louis Vuitton fashion shows.
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| In the Cour Carrée of the Louvre: Louis Vuitton Fall Winter 2019/2020 show (March 2019). The industrial-looking blue and red tubes are walkways. |
By the way, throughout Year 4, we have noticed that the Louvre is in a constant state of restoration. One area of work is the facade along the Seine river which is being restored and cleaned. Below, you can see a section awaiting restoration (left) and a section recently cleaned.
Not all of the artwork in the Louvre is old. Some is modern, including ceilings painted by Georges Braque and Cy Twombly.
Of course, some of the Louvre's architecture is modern as well. Below, Marie-Chantal and Jean-Claude stand near the inverse pyramid.
Thanks for visiting the Louvre with us. We hope you enjoyed our many visits as much as we did.
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