A Guide To The Louvre, Paris

The Musée du Louvre is undoubtedly one ofobjects such as embalming pots, urns, vases and
the world's finest art collections, and there would bebusts, and the fascinating objects from everyday life.
nowhere more fitting to house such a collection thanOne of the most fascinating objects in the Near
the magnificent Louvre Palace, an immenseEastern collection is one of the world's oldest legal
Renaissance complex once used as the residence ofdocuments, a Mesopotamian engraved tablet.
French royalty. There's so much to see that it wouldPaintings
be possible to spend a whole day or more exploringThe Louvre's extensive collection of paintings covers
it. Here's a guide to the building and the splendidevery school of painting from all over Europe from
works of art within it, to help plan a visit to thethe 14th century to the mid 19th century. French,
Louvre and see the best of what it has to offer.German, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Scandinavian
Historyand English painters are all well represented.
The original building on this site was a fortressFlemish painter Jan Van Eyck's Madonna of the
constructed by King Phillipe-Auguste in the 12thChancellor Rolin is one of the oldest works, dating
century to protect the city from the Vikings. Thefrom 1435. There's a great collection of Rembrandt
Louvre then evolved over the centuries to meet themasterpieces, such as Bathsheba (1654) and Disciples
needs of its various inhabitants. The first significantat Emmaus (1648).
alterations were made by Francois I, who had aThe Italian section is probably the biggest crowd
brand new Renaissance palace built, and from then apuller, though, which has some fabulous Renaissance
succession of monarchs and rulers all left their mark,paintings by Giotto, Raphael, Boticelli, Titian,
extending and altering it until it became the stunningCaravaggio and of course Leonardo da Vinci, whose
vast complex that it is today. The most recentMona Lisa is the museum's most famous and well
changes were made in the late 20th century toloved painting.
improve the building's use as a visitor attraction.Prints and Drawings
Architect I M Pei added a striking glass and steelWorks on paper, such as prints, pastels and drawings,
pyramid in the main courtyard as a new entranceare given a whole section. Some of the key works,
area, which has now become one of the mostwhich date from the 14th century to the 19th
famous images of the Louvre.century, are those by da Vinci, Pisano, Michelangelo,
A tour of the architectureRaphael, Albrecht Dürer and Hans Holbein.
As you wander around the impressive art collections,Sculpture
don't forget to look out for the wonderfulThe sculptures held by the Louvre date from the
architecture all around. You'll see the glass pyramid as12th century to the mid 19th century and are mainly
you enter the museum, but before you do, take aEuropean. One of the most impressive and unusual
walk around the courtyards to have a look at somepieces is the tomb of Phillipe Pot, a 15th century
of the beautiful external features. Perrault'sBurgundian aristocrat, which is flanked by eight
Colonnade on the east side of the building is anhooded monks.
impressive columned façade designed in theDon't miss the celebrated Marly Horses, housed in
classical style by Claude Perrault at the behest oftheir own glass-topped courtyard, Cour Marly. These
Louis XIV in 1679. The design was so popular at thebeautiful statues of wild horses were sculpted by
time that it set a trend for other buildings all overFrench Guillaume Coustou in the mid 18th century.
Europe. The oldest part of the building can be seen inAround them are some of the museum's other best
an excavated area under what is now the CourFrench sculptures, including busts of key intellectual,
Carrée. The Medieval Moats show theliterary and political figures such as Voltaire and
foundations of the drawbridge and towers of theDiderot.
original fortress. The Jardin du Carrousel is also worthDecorative arts
exploring. It's a wonderful open space with a formallyThe applied and decorative arts include jewellery,
laid out garden and a magnificent triumphal arch as itsceramics, furniture, tapestries, clocks, glassware,
centrepiece. The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel wasivories and bronzes, again dating from the Middle
built by Napoleon in 1805 to celebrate French militaryAges to the mid 19th century. There are over 8,000
victories.pieces. Some of the most exquisite objects are the
The collectionsFrench Crown Jewels, including coronation crowns,
The Museum holds over 35,000 works of art acrossswords and sceptres. The stunning Regent diamond,
an area of over 60,000 square metres.one of the world's purest precious stones, was worn
Antiquitiesby Louis XV at his coronation and is on display here.
There are three major collections of ancientOther items include Charles V's gold sceptre, made in
artefacts: Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities;1375, and Napoleon's coronation crown. The Hunts of
Egyptian antiquities and Near Eastern antiquities.Maximilian tapestries are one of the other most
The highlights of the Greek, Etruscan and Romanimpressive parts of the decorative arts collection.
collections are the Roman and Greek glassware fromThis series of huge wall hangings was made for
the 6th century BC, Roman silverware and mosaicsCharles V in the mid 16th century.
from 1-3 AD, and clay and bronze Etruscan sculpturesIslamic art
from the 9th to the 1st centuries BC. Also of interestThis is the museum's newest collection, opened to
are two exquisite Greek marble statues from thethe public in 2003. Over a thousand works from a
Hellenistic period (3rd to 2nd century BC) - Venus deperiod spanning over 13 centuries are on display. Most
Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.of the pieces are luxury objects of art which were
The Egyptian collection holds pieces from the latecreated for the rich and powerful of various Islamic
prehistoric period (4000 BC) to the early Christiancountries, such as sculptures, vases, glassware and
period (4 AD). Don't miss the religious and funerarycarvings.