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The Louvre – work dating back to 8000 BC

Main ENTRANCE OF LOUVRE A glass pyramid

 An honorary member of the world exclusive club of the greatest museum the louvre is the busiest, the bar set at ten million visitors a year with its 403 rooms and thousands of work dating back to 8000 BC, is now a museum filled with a long history which started 800 years ago…

honorary member of the world exclusive club of the greatest museum


In the origins of the fortress: a fortress erected at the initiative of Philip Augustus was originally designed to strengthen the compound building 1190 to secure Paris.

The museum gained the grandness of Royal Palace when King Francis 1 decided to settle in 15 28.

Henry 2 continues the work, ordering the layout, on the ground floor the ceremonial hall. His wife, Catherine De Medici, Commissioned the building of Tuileries,

Further west but the work was never completed.
The opening of Museum in 1793: Under the reign of Louis XVI the Louvre started to awake its vocation as a museum, through the project displaying the part of Royal painting collection in the Great hall to make them assessable to the public.


Napoleon  1, who appointed Denon, artist, and diplomat, enriched the museum with the acquisition of antique. A Denon wing is named after him.

Providing historical information of eight antiques and arts.

Near Eastern Antiques in The Louvre :

comes from 19-century excavations by Scholars who went in search of the source of Western Culture.


The reconstitution of khorsabad Courtyard, with the winged man, headed bulls built to the glory of AssyrianKing Sargon 2 , assert the active role of the museum in the discovery of the forgotten
civilization of the east.


Winged man headed bulls built  to the glory of Assyrian King  Sargon 2

Spanning over the nine millennia, from Prehistoric Times to the early Islamic period, the Museum tour focuses on three geographical areas organized chronologically :


The section on Mesopotamia
The Persian world 
It closes with the Levant (today’s Syria, Lebanon, and Israel)

Spanning over the nine millennia


Victory stele of Eannatum inThe Louvre


King of Lagash, called “stele of a vulture”
These stele fragments retell in the words and picture the triumphant military campaign of the king of Lagash, Eannatum, upon the enemies of Umma. One side is devoted to the narrative of human actions and other, mythological in nature to the intercession of the Gods.

Although incomplete, stele is the oldest known historiographical document.

Honour porch of a home, from a place called ‘Qasar Rumi “Cairo, Egypt,


Victory stele of Eannatum

A remnant of the Mamluk dynasty founded by freed slave soldiers, that ruled from 13th to the early 16th  century, this porch was the access structure of prestigious residence in Cairo.

Made up of 300 stones, it is decorated with floral and geometric motifs. There is no other example of Mamluk building of this size preserved in a museum.

decorated with floral and geometric motifs.

Horse Head dagger, India, 17th century (steel inlaid with gold, Jade and semi-precious stones)It is sharp curved blade gone through chainmail, but, apart from its fierce efficiency,

this dagger called a Khanjar is mostly remarkable for its fine Jade to handle (famous for helping victory) shaped as horse head, adorned with Emerald and spinels. This decorative weapon probably a gift to high dignitary is typical of Mughal Art


Horsehead, adorned with Emerald and spinels

Egyptian antiquities in The Louvre:

This is organized into three chronological sections. The. Pharaonic period, which runs from IV Millennium to the year 30th BC is the largest one and richest in artefact (about 50000).

The museum also holds a large section on Roman Egypt and another on Coptic(Christianized”) Egypt. Beyond their aesthetic qualities, from the sphinx to the famous portrait of fa-yum, the Egyptian collection of the Louvre is a unique tool of scientific knowledge on the daily life culture belief and rights of ancient Egypt.

Egyptian collection of the Louvre is a unique tool of scientific knowledge

Great Sphinx, Tanis, Old kingdom(old for middle Kingdom, 1900 BC pink  granite)  twelve tons of sphinx, perfectly polished and punctuated by details of great piece Precision,

was exhumed in 1825 from the ruins of temple of Amun Rain in Tanis, With the lion’s body and a human head the Spenix is sovereign creature ruthless to the dissenters and Protector of the righteous . The Pharaoh gains, its power through this deception a divine dimension.


lion’s body and a human head the Spenix is a sovereign creature

The lid of eminent’s coffins,25-26 dynasty( agglomerated and coated fabric )shape of sarcophagi, their use typical of funerary practices of ancient Egypt in order to protect the body of Dead, evolved considerably over time and across social classes.  The deceased was associated with the figure of eternity.

Egypt in order to protect the body of Dead

Greek , Etruscan and Roman antiques in The Louvre

The Louvre offer an exceptional panorama of ancient art that begins with the pre-classical Greece from third Millennium BC and covered the Archaic period.

The quest for the proportions of Ideal beauty that would reflect the divine absolute culminated during the Hellenistic period with its hectic and sensual figures, the first of which is, of course, the Venus De Milo.

To the domination of Greek cities followed, from 2nd century BC to the Roman empire, whose art reflector clear influence of Greek productions: a rampant

domination of Greek cities

Of Francis 1st  Palace design in The Renaissance style, dominated by Diana the huntress brings together a selection of  Roman work that testified to its Legacy.

 Roman art, however, exemplifies the emergence of individuation and portrait, which is the mark of the influence of an Etruscan tradition, embodied in the collection of gorgeous  Sarcophagus of the spouse.


The winged Victory of Samothrace, a Hellenistic period 190 BC

 This Masterpiece of Hellenistic period was found during an excavation in 1863 on the site of a century of Great Gods in  Samothrace whose cult was known in ancient time to help win naval flights to prevent shipwrecks.

Naval battle with indeed many at that time between the great power to control the Mediterranean in the figure does probably and offering and Trophy commemorating a naval victory.


Winged Victory of Samothrace

 Erected at Prow of the ship, it is depicted taken in mid-air, it’s wing deployed, the chest proudly arched, its cloths plastered to the body by spray.

Devoid of its head and arms this (Nike Greek for victory) is nevertheless an unsurpassed example of sculptures in a motion of 2nd century BC which Express at only lyrical Vega and Technical mastery, particularly in trapping and achieve settle transparency effects.



Painting

The painting collection of the Museum finds their origin in the successive acquisition of French Kings, begun to the reign of Francis 1. These formed the basis of Museum collections, opened to the public in 1793.



Hyacinthe  Rigaud Portrait of Louis 14 the official painter of Louis xiv, Rigaud gives this particular portrait of the king in his coronation robes, at the age of 63 the image of absolutism and Royal Majesty. The painting remained, due to its quality, at the court of France.



Jacques Louis David, the coronation of Napoleon I in Notre Dame,

(1806 to 1807) once the champion of French Revolution David was appointed in 1804, first painter to Emperor. It feels to him to set to the memory of the coronation of December 2nd, 1804, during which Bonaparte became Napoleon I.

But instead of Emperor’s Crowning, he chooses to illustrate his wife Josephine. His huge almost 10 meters wide and extremely precise composition deploys a long fringe of figures, 191 including the artist himself shown drawing among the stands.


Coronation of Napoleon I in Notre Dame

 
Eugene Delacroix

This painting, filled with truly Epic fashion Illustrates  Three glorious days, Revolutionary days of 1830  led by the people of Paris against Charles to put an end to the Restoration. 

Eugene was not himself or follower of political violence nevertheless achieved with his work the allegory of resistance and struggle for justice.

Revolutionary days of 1830  led by the people

 in the mid of the crowd gathering people of all social Origins, a women half-naked adorned with a Phrygian cap and holding blue white red banner prohibited under the Restoration symbolizes liberty and importance the dream of victory over despotism.

The leader of romantic artistic movement manage hair a successful synthesis of realism in idolism despite an enthusiastic reception at Salon of 1831 it’s purchased by the government this painting was long hidden because it was a message to subversive by King Louis Philippe under the July monarchy. liberty himself leading the revolution.

Monalisa Leonardo da Vinci portrait

Lisa Gherardini Del Giocondo is known as Lisa or Mona Lisa

It was however never delivered to its sponsor, the painter, who regarded it as unfinished, took it with him to France. It is unclear how the painting finally entered in the collection of Francis 1.

the unique fate of this Masterpiece has become Legend. interpreted and Parodied over and over again, the Mona Lisa is in all likelihood the result of the commission of portrait printed in Florence between( 1503 to 1506) the Lisa Gherardini wife of Francisco Del Giocondo.

It is actually smaller than appear, under highest protection and surveillance

 Although the identity of the model remains controversial -some even see an androgynous self-portrait- the Mona Lisa has nevertheless embodied a type of feminine ideal. Her extremely pure face is livened up by an enigmatic smile which contributed to her mythic aura. The model, captured at mid-body is the three-quarters angle, is seating before a loggia; in the back, lays an imaginary landscape, as a transition from earthly to heavenly.




The wedding feast at Cana

(Paolo Caliari, known as Veronese) on the topic of this monumental painting, provide Veronese with an iconographic pretext reinterpreted with great imagination. The miraculous event of the transformation of water into a wine-inspired banquet scene, set up in the framework of an architectural perspective worthy of the 16th-century theatre house.

Mary and Jesus standing at the centre, surrounded by a swarm of character- 130 not paying them any attention, except for the disciples. A tribute to Vatican opulence, the decor composed symmetrically shows marble- a material that had gradually taken the place of Wood in the building of the city glassware (through the arts of the table) and clothes that give the canvas, with their embroidery, shimmering colours.


Mary and Jesus standing at the centre




The graphics arts cover a wide range of techniques –drawing, miniatures, prints, pastels.  

Leonardo Di ser Piero Da Vinci aka Leonardo da Vinci (the study of folds for kneeling figures late 15th early 16 century )Leonardo treated, In theoretical as well as technical terms, the art of depicting draping and folds and achievement regarded as fundamental during the Renaissance.

study on linen Canvas pictures folded legs, covered by clothes falling heavily to the ground, seemingly initiating a slight of twisting motion.

 
Sculptures



collection of the Museum is mainly French and Italian works, including the famous slaves by Michelangelo and some other European countries


Fontainebleau School

Diana the huntress known as Diane of Anet  mid 19th century

This is the first large nude is a sculpture in French Art, from the castle of Diana de Poitiers, mistress of Henry II.

It figures the Goddess of hunt accompanied, by her dogs and hugging a deer, symbol of the king.

Diane’s posture is reminiscent of famous high relief the nymph of Fontainebleu by Benvenuto Cellini.

This is the journey of lovure is not completed. Even by pausing thirty seconds with each artform we need another ninety days to cover the whole museum. Similarly must plan your trip to modern art temple Centre Pompidou