Louvre Museum Collections
It is believed that the woman in the painting is Francesco del Giocondo's (a silk merchant in Florence, Italy) wife Lisa Gherardini. The woman's mysterious smile, alluring look, and sidelong glance are stars of the painting. Viewers feel that Mona Lisa is observing them from anywhere in the room.
This painting is possibly the most recognized piece of art in the Louvre Museum Collections. The artwork of Leonardo da Vinci that dates to around 1503 is displayed in the Salle des États (Room 711).
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Les Noces de Cana (The Wedding Feast at Cana) is the artwork of Paolo Caliari created in 1563. It occupies a whole wall and is 6 meters in height and 10 meters in width, making it the largest painting in the Collections at Louvre Museum
The exquisite piece depicts the historical wedding scene in Cana, Galilee, where Christ turned water into wine. More than 100 figures, including the bride and groom at the end of the feast table, Christ in the middle surrounded by his disciples, modern Venetians, biblical characters, and numerous animals are all displayed in the artwork.
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The captivating Venus de Milo, also known as Aphrodite, statue, which is on exhibit in Sully Wing Room 345 of the Louvre Museum Collections, represents the Greek concept of perfection. The goddess statue, created around 100 BC, demonstrates late Hellenistic Period stylization.
The concept of space, flawless composition and the way the draping glides over the goddess' hips are what distinguish this statue as a masterpiece. Art historians believe that one of the goddess's missing hands may have held a crown, a shield, an apple, or a mirror while enjoying her reflection.
This winged Goddess of Victory sculpture (Nike), a piece of Hellenistic art, is poised on the bow of a ship, leading a vessel through severe gusts of wind. It was unearthed on the island of Samothrace circa around 190 BC, and is quite a precisely crafted masterpiece of Collections at Louvre Museum.
The spiralling structure gives the sense of strong movement when the wings are backward and the right leg is in front of the left one. Similarly, the carefully sculpted sculptural features give the Goddess the appearance of being dressed in light fabric and soaked in water. The goddess' draped tunic appears billowing in the breeze, adding a remarkable sense of reality.
Jacques-Louis David painted this amazing artwork depicting Napoleon I's coronation and a symbolic and spiritual message at the request of Napoleon I. He attended the ceremony held in Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral on December 2, 1804, and made this vivid painting between 1805 and 1808. The meticulously fine painting depicting the occasion with 146 persons in attendance was painted by the artist on a six-metre by ten-metre canvas. Its magnificent dimensions offer visitors to the Louvre Museum Collections the impression that they are genuinely there. Napoleon praised this remarkable masterpiece's majesty and realism, adding, "One can walk through this painting!"
This dramatic painting from the Collections at Louvre Museum depicts the revolution in Paris in July 1830, led by French Republicans against the reign of the Second Constitution. Delacroix depicted Goddess Liberty leading the people in the painting and emphasised the principles of the Revolution of 1789 and popular sovereignty. Delacroix was inspired to create this work because he had a strong patriotic commitment to the Republican cause. The metaphorical depiction of Liberty in the painting is a strong and empowering bare-breasted lady holding a French flag and an army gun.
The inspiration for the sculpture Psyche Revived by the Kiss of Love, or L'Amour et Psyché in French, came from the well-known tale of Cupid and Psyche from Ovid's Mythology. In this narrative, Cupid comes across Psyche who has fallen asleep after ingesting a prohibited elixir. Cupid approaches her tenderly and was about to kiss Psyche when she awakens and cuddles him softly. This is the heartfelt moment described by Antonio Canova in this beautiful work of art from the Louvre Museum Collections. It is a work of Romantic Neoclassical art that is so well-crafted that the figures appear to be real.
The Lacemaker by Jan Vermeer is thought to be among the most exquisite works of art in the Collections at Louvre Museum. The image, which was created in 1669 or 1670, shows a young woman keenly concentrated on her laborious profession of lacemaking.
The major attraction of the artwork is the thread that runs between the lady's fingers and the needle and bobbin. A little book, most likely a Bible, in front of the artwork provides a dimension of moral and religious meaning. The background objects are blurred, replicating the normal visual field of the human eye.
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King Louis XIV ordered the Chevaux de Marly (Marly Horses) for the horse pond at the Château de Marly. Guillame Coustou created this massive Carrara marble sculpture between 1739 and 1745, depicting a horse being managed by its groom. Guillame Coustou was most likely influenced by the antique Roman statues of Castor and Pollux attempting to tame their horses, which were positioned in front of Rome's Quirinal Palace. The Marly Horses is a larger-than-life image that relates to an untamed horse and represents the clash between man and nature.
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The Coronation of the Virgin is an exceptional work of medieval painting in the Louvre Museum Collections. Guido di Pietro created this piece between 1430 and 1432, displaying exceptional finery and aesthetic quality.The beautiful artwork represents the Virgin Mary's Assumption when she was crowned by Christ and welcomed into paradise. Christ is pictured seated high above the throng on a throne accessible via colored marble steps. The gilding in the picture, especially on Christ's throne and in the angels' haloes, appears to refer to a regal court in heaven.
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The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds, painted by Georges de La Tour in 1635, is one of the most acclaimed works of art. It displays four people sitting around a table playing cards, giving viewers the idea that they are watching a real card game. The painting in its exquisite details depicts a young guy subtly pulling an ace of diamonds card from his belt. The woman with the low-cut neckline draws the audience's attention with her gliding eye motions with other women. George de La Tour gives morals about the wrongs of desire, drink, and gambling through this painting.
Albrecht Dürer's Portrait de l'Artiste Tenant un Chardon is a magnificent work of art and one of the earliest stand-alone self-portraits in the European Louvre Museum Collections. He painted a self-portrait of himself in 1493 when he was only 22 years old. The artist is holding a thistle, which either symbolises his devotion to his fiancée or references Christ's Passion. A three-quarter length was a popular style in 16th-century portrait painting, as seen in this piece. The painting has some roughness because the artist was drawing from his own reflection in the mirror.
The sculptures L'Esclave Mourant (The Dying Slave) and L'Esclave Rebelle (The Rebellious Slave), by Michelangelo, are masterpieces that display both his technical prowess and emotional range. While the Rebellious Slave is engaged in a fierce fight, the Dying Slave seems to be dozing off in eternal sleep. According to some art historians, the sculptures present the human soul restrained by the body. Since Michelangelo thought he had gotten the most artistic value out of the raw marble slab, the statues are unfinished and still bear chisel marks.
The Galerie d'Apollon at Denon Wing, Room 705, is where the royal crown jewels are on display. These jewels include the Crown of Louis XV, the 140-carat Régent diamond, the Tiara of the Duchess of Angoulême, and the Crown of Empress Eugénie. This lavishly ornamented gallery was originally built in the 17th century by Louis Le Vau, the architect of the Château de Versailles, and Charles Le Brun, the official painter of Louis XIV, and reopened in 2020. The magnificent interior design of the gallery, which has a central ceiling painting by Eugène Delacroix from the 19th century, outshines the grandeur of the gems held within the displays.
Hyacinthe Rigaud, a French royal portrait painter, made this iconic depiction of the "Sun King" in 1701. The picture was initially meant to be a present for Philip V of Spain, but the French Court liked it alot and made it a part of the Louvre Museum Collections. The portrait of Louis XIV, rendered in fine details, serves as the epitome of absolute power. The regal setting and the King's magnificent coronation garments depict his majesty. When this portrait of Louis XIV was created, he was 63 years old and this painting was created to serve as a reminder of Louis XIV's power.
FAQs
How many collections are in the Louvre museum?
Paintings: The painting section of the Louvre Museum is the most popular, with over 7,500 works of art on display. It is further subdivided under regional influences, which include French, German, Italian, Flemish, Dutch, Scandinavian, and English.
Egyptian Antiquities: The Louvre Museum's Egyptian section houses over 50,000 pieces, making it the world's most extensive collection. It delves deeply into ancient Egyptian life and has objects from 4,000 BC, the time of the Nile civilization, until the fourth century AD.
Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities: This section of the Louvre Museum Collections specializes in Mediterranean history from the Neolithic period to the sixth century. A significant portion of the collection was added by the French monarchs in the 16th century, making this one of the Louvre's earliest sections.
Near Eastern Antiquities: With 25 rooms devoted to the display of artwork and relics from the earliest Near Eastern culture, this section is huge. The section is subdivided into three geographical divisions, including the Levant, Persia (Iran), and Mesopotamia (Iraq).
Sculptures: This section is replete with pre-1850 pieces that don't belong to the Etruscan, Greek, and Roman collections. It houses the world's largest collection of French sculptures, including Satan by Jean-Jacques Feuchère and Diana the Huntress by Jean-Antoine Houdon, and many more.
Islamic Arts: The collection, established in 2003, includes 3,000 pieces from the Arabian peninsula that date from the 7th to the 19th century. Three pages from the Shahnameh, the Barberini Vase, and the Plate with Peacock are just a few of the noteworthy pieces on display in this section.
-Decorative Arts: The section of Decorative Arts of the Louvre Museum Collections includes antiquities, pottery, tapestries, stained glass, and other items dating from the Middle Ages until the middle of the 19th century. Some of this section's masterpieces are the coronation crown of Louis XIV, Napoleon III's apartments, and Giambologna's bronze Nessus and Deianira.
- Prints & Drawings: With 1,40,000 drawings listed in the Louvre catalog, this section has the world's biggest collection of drawings. The main Cabinet du Roi, royal copper printing plates, and Edmond de Rothschild's donations make up the three divisions of the collection.
What is the most valuable item in the Louvre museum?
Mona Lisa, the masterpiece of Leonardo da Vinci, is permanently housed at the Louvre in France. With an estimated worth of around $800 million, it is the most valuable item in the Collections at Louvre Museum and has the greatest insurance value of any painting ever.
What are the 3 most precious treasures in the Louvre museum?
Venus de Milo: One of the most well-known classical sculptures in the Louvre Museum Collections is Venus de Milo. Greek goddess sculpture raises questions about how she was holding her now-missing arms.
Mona Lisa: The popularity of Leonardo da Vinci's painting, "Mona Lisa," undoubtedly exceeds its aesthetic value. The most valuable piece in the Louvre Museum Collections, it gives visitors the impression that she is observing them from all corners of the room .
The Wedding Feast at Cana: It is the largest painting in the Louvre Museum, taking up the entire wall of the gallery and measuring 6 meters in height by 10 meters in width. It depicts the wedding scene from the Bible where Christ turned water into wine at Cana.
What is the Louvre's permanent collection?
The Louvre Museum's permanent collection includes paintings, Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities, Egyptian artifacts, Near Eastern relics, Islamic arts, Decorative Arts, and Graphic Arts. While the Louvre Museum Collections has over 480,000 pieces, only about 35,000 are always on display.
What are Louvre museum hours of operation?
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM to 9:45 PM
Tuesday: Closed
The last entrance is one hour before closing. Visitors are required to leave the exhibition rooms 30 minutes before the doors close.
Should I book Louvre museum tickets in advance?
It is advisable to book your Louvre Museum tickets in advance to avoid last-minute disappointment. Since it is one of Paris's most popular attractions, tickets run out quickly. Booking your tickets online in advance also qualify you for some great deals and discounts and also saves you from the hassles of standing in long queues outside the ticket counter.
Why is the Louvre museum important?
The Louvre Museum, spanning 60,000 square meters and housing a collection of 480,000 art pieces belonging to ancient civilizations, is the largest and most visited art museum in the world. From Mona Lisa and the Venus of Milo to the Regent Diamond and Napoleon I's Coronation, it boasts abundant art gems included in the Louvre Museum Collections.
How old is the Louvre Museum?
During the French Revolution, the Louvre Palace, which houses the Louvre Museum, was formally transformed into a public museum. In May 1791, it was designated as a site for the collection of all monuments related to the sciences and arts. In October 1792, a commission formed to "preserve the national memory" began assembling the collection for display. It was opened to the public on August 10, 1793, as The Muséum Central des Arts de la République and had 184 works of art and 537 paintings in the collection.
How many artworks are on display at the Louvre in Paris?
The Louvre Museum Collections house around 480,000 objects and display over 35,000 art pieces in its eight curatorial sections, including Egyptian antiquities, Near Eastern antiquities, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman antiques, Islamic art, Sculptures, Decorative Arts, Paintings, and Prints and drawings.
What can you see inside the Louvre museum?
The museum offers a wide range of artwork from prehistoric times until the middle of the 19th century. Some of the world's most well-known works of art, including the Virgin of the Rocks and the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, are on display here. A sizable collection of sculptures, including Venus de Milo, and other artifacts from ancient cultures like paintings, are part of the Louvre Museum Collections. Great art pieces by masters like Leonardo Da Vinci, Rubens, Vermeer, and Delacroix, among others, are on exhibit in the museum's permanent collection. Additionally, it houses art collections from Egypt, Islam, and the Roman Empire.
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