The Louvre

Perhaps we should have rested up before tackling the largest museum in the world, the Louvre, but we didn't, so we made pretty quick work of it.  We checked out some of the "showcase" items such as Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, the medieval moat and the Apollo Gallery where the coronation crown of Louis XV and other royal jewels are displayed.

What's fascinating is the amount of space given to these famous masterpieces, no doubt to provide for crowds.  The Winged Victory is considered one of the Louvres most prized possessions and it is dramatically displayed at the top of a staircase. (Click on the photo here for a link to a wiki article for more info on the sculpture).

 

 

This is just a small section of the larger piece called Coronation of Napoleon (as emperor), by Jacques-Louis David.  Here Napoleon has just crowned his wife Josephine and is about to crown himself (the Pope behind him was not considered worthy of the task!)  This event took place in the Notre Dame Cathedral although interior decorators raised staged greek columns and roman arches to mask the gothic style of the cathedral.

What I found the most interesting was the buildings of the Louvre itself.  I am not sure if they offer it but if were to go back again I'd take an English tour of the history of the Louvre as the french royal court.

We were feeling pretty smug on our first few days here when it was raining and cool and there seemed to be hardly anyone out and about.  After our visit to the Louvre (no lineups using the Paris Museum Pass and the group entrance), we decided to nip into Saint Chappelle (built to house the crown of thorns).  WRONG!  The sun had come out and suddenly there were people and line ups everywhere!  And it's been pretty busy ever since.  In a way, I wouldn't mind if the rain returned! 

I've added more pictures to the existing web album link below if you want to see more.

K&M