Musee du Louvre - November 23, 08

The next day we decided to go to the Louvre. It's a huge museum with some of the worlds most famous art pieces.

The Musee du Louvre has a history extending back to medieval times. First constructed as a fortress in 1190 by King Philippe-Auguste to protect Paris against Viking raids, it lost its imposing keep and dungeon in the reign of Francois I, who replaced it with a Renaissance-style building. Thereafter, four centuries of French kings and emperors improved and enlarged it. A recent addition is the main courtyard's glass pyramid entrance, from which all the galleries are reached. The Lourvre's treasures can be traced back tot he collection of Francois I(1515-47), who purchased many Italian paintings, including the Mona Lisa (La Gioconda). In Louix XIV's reign (1643-1715) there were a mere 200 works, but donations and purchased augmented the collection. The Lourve was first opened to the public in 1793 after the Revolution, and has been continually enriched every since.

Now I am not sure what pictures to post because I seriously took a picture of every popular or famous art piece there was (that I recognized, lol). I went crazy with pictures. I guess I'll start putting my favs and see where we go from here. I already know not all of them will be posted, but there will still be L O T S!

This is taken from inside the Lourve looking outside the window into the courtyard. The Louve building is like a U. That is part of the Louve on the other side you see. Yes, it's that huge.

Devin and I in the courtyard.

Going into the pyramid entrance. The popular new main entrance was designed by a Chinese architect I.M. Pei and was opened in 1989. He designed it as both a main focal point and new entrance. Made out of glass, it enables the visitors to see the historic buildings that surround it while allowing light down into the underground reception area.

Aren't we cute?

The Winged Victory of Samotbrace. Greece, late 3rd-early 2nd century BC.

Mona Lisa (Portrait of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo) by Leonardo Da Vinci. Oil on wood, 77x53 cm. 1503-1506. How cool is that. To say I stood in front of the Mona Lisa.

Devin and I standing in front of the painting, The Wedding Feast at Cana by Paolo Caliari, known as Veronese. Oil on canvas, 677x994 cm. 1562-1563. Of course I have pictures of this painting without us in it, but I had to include some of us too.


This picture shows the first miracle where Jesus turned the water into wine. This is the biggest picture in the Lourve.

The Virgin, Child and Little St. John or La Belle Jardiniere by Ruffaello Sanzio, known as Raphael. Oil on wood, 122x80 cm. 1508.

I love this painting. If you don't know much about it, let me tell you. Everything in this painting is almost calm like. The Virgin is just sitting on a rock, everything around her is very simple. Then there is the Child (Jesus) looking up at his mother trying to grasp the book - in which told the time of the sacrifice. Kneeling is St. John, facing Jesus and is about to stand up again - to give him the cross. It's like she doesn't want to give him the book because in it is his future she wants to protect him from, thus the announcement of the Passion of Christ.

The Raft of the Medusa, by Theodore Gericault. 1819. Oil on canvas, 491x716 cm.

A picture by Picasso. We weren't allowed to take pictures of any of the temporary exhibits of Picasso, but I snuck a picture without flash, which is why it's blurry.

I think this room was called the Apollo Gallery, but it was my FAVORITE. Every astrological sign was sculpted, every month, and every season. It was amazing and beautiful. So fun to see and learn about.

How cool is this?

See, I'm forgetting things already. Can't remember the name of this one, but it was really neat to see.

3 Statues of Sepa. They are of husband and wife. 2 identical ones were made of the husband.

Sarcarphage of Echmunazor II, Egyptian. 489-475 BC. Sidon, Liban.

Grant Capital Showing Bulls. Susa (Iran), audience room of the royal palace. 520-500 BC. Limestone. H: 552 cm.

Yep, us again. But isn't that cool?

Winged Horses of Mercury and Fame (I think this one's Fame) by Antoine Coysevox, 1699-1701. Marble.

The Dying Slave by Michelangelo Buonarroti, known as Michelangelo. 1513-1515, unfinished marble. H: 228 cm.

He sculpted this as part of a group of statues for the base of the tomb of Pope Julius II in Rome.

Great Sphinx. Tanis, Middle Kingdom, XII Dynasty. 1850 BC. Pink Granite. H: 183 cm.

The Medieval Moats. The base of the twin towers and the drawbridge support of Philippe-Auguste's fortress.

Oh, and of course Devin and I standing in front Aphrodite, known as Venus de Milo. It was found in 1820 on the island of Milo in Greece. This ideal of feminine beauty was made in the Hellenistic Age at the end of the 2nd century BC. How cool is that?

Sculpture by Antonio Canova, Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, 1793, Marble. H: 155 cm.

It was so pretty.

The inverted pyramid.