LOUVRE COLLECTIONS
Museum Floor Plan
1. French Paintings
This superb collection ranges from the 14th century to 1848 and includes works by such artists as Jean Watteau, Georges de la Tour, and J H Fragonard.
2. French Sculpture
Highlights include the Tomb of Philippe Pot by Antoine le Moiturier, the Marly Horses, and works by Pierre Puget.
3. Egyptian Antiquities
The finest collection outside Cairo, featuring a Sphinx in the crypt, the Seated Scribe of Sakkara, huge sarcophagi, mummified animals, funerary objects, and intricate carvings depicting everyday life in Ancient Egypt.
Ancient Egyptian vase
4. Greek Antiquities
The wondrous art of Ancient Greece here ranges from a Cycladic idol from the third millennium BCE to Classical Greek marble statues (c.5th century BCE) to Hellenistic works (late 3rd–2nd centuries BCE).
5. Oriental Antiquities
A stunning collection includes a recreated temple of an Assyrian king and the Codex of Hammurabi (18th century BCE), mankind’s oldest written laws.
6. Italian Paintings
French royalty adored the art of Italy and amassed much of this collection (1200–1800). It includes many works by Leonardo da Vinci.
7. Italian Sculpture
Highlights of this collection, dating from the early Renaissance, include a 15th-century Madonna and Child by Donatello and Michelangelo’s Slaves.
8. Dutch Paintings
Rembrandt’s works are hung alongside domestic scenes by Vermeer, and portraits by Frans Hals.
9. Objets d’Art
The ceramics, jewelry, and other items in this collection span history and the world.
10. Islamic Art
This exquisite collection, which spans 13 centuries and three continents, is covered by an ultra-modern glass veil.
LEONARDO DA VINCI AND THE MONA LISA
Born in Vinci, Republic of Florence, Italy, to a wealthy family, Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) took up an apprenticeship under artist Andrea del Verrocchio, then served the Duke of Milan as an architect and military engineer, during which time he painted the Last Supper mural (1495). On his return to Florence, to work as architect to Cesare Borgia, he painted his most celebrated portrait, the Mona Lisa (1503–06). It is also known as La Gioconda, allegedly the name of the model’s aristocratic husband, although there is ongoing speculation regarding the identity of the subject. The work, in particular the sitter’s mysterious smile, shows mastery of two techniques: chiaroscuro, the contrast of light and shadow, and sfumato, subtle transitions between colors. It was the artist’s own favorite painting and he took it with him everywhere. In 1516 François I brought them both to France, giving da Vinci the use of a manor house in Amboise in the Loire Valley, where he died three years later.
Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance man extraordinaire, was not only an artist but also a sculptor, engineer, architect, and scientist. His many interests included the study of anatomy and aerodynamics.
Mona Lisa, da Vinci’s enigmatic portrait
TOP 10 LOUVRE RESIDENTS
1. Charles V (1364–80)
2. Henri II (1547–49)
3. Catherine de’ Medici (1519–89)
4. Henri IV (1589–1610)
5. Louis XIII (1610–43)
6. Louis XIV (1643–1715)
7. Anne of Austria (1601–66)
8. Guillaume Coustou, sculptor (1677–1746)
9. Edmé Bouchardon, sculptor (1698–1762)
10. François Boucher, artist (1703–70)
