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.