A Brief Introduction to Louvre Museum, Paris (Part--II)

Musee de Antiquities on the ground floor-- Petit Galerie

Seven  Niche Column Type  Sarcophagus (Sculpture on  stone coffin),  Musee de Antiques

Department of Egyptian Antiquities Opened by Jean Francois Champollion

  

Egyptian gods and goddesses of war, Egyptian Antiquities

  In 1800 Napoleon opened Musee de Antiques in the Anne of Austria's apartments. On the ground floor of the petit galerie, a new monumental staircase was set up for the Salon Carre and for the grand galerie separately. In 1824 Musee de Sculpture Moderne was set up on the ground floor of the  Cour Carree (square court). In 1826 Jean Francois Champollion, the first curator of the museum, opened the new department of the Egyptian antiquities having nearly 50,000 collections. In 1849 Europe's first museum of Assyrian art was inaugurated in two galleries in the north wing of the Cour Carree. The Mexican, Algerian and ethnographic museums were opened on the ground floor and on the second floor of the pavilion de Beauvais in the north wing of the Cour Carree. During the time of the prince-President Louis Napoleon, three new galleries were opened between 1848 and 1851. During 1852 and 1857 the north wing linking the Louvre and Tuilleries as well as the Cour Napoleon were completed. The Musee de Souverains - the museum exhibiting various collections of royal dynasties- was opened by Louis Napoleon.  

     

Assyrian Galerie in the north wing of Cour Carree

                 

Assyrian Galerie

Immortal Archers, Susa Galerie, Iranian Collections by Marcel Dieulaoy

           

Sculpture of the animal Griffin in Susa Galerie

                     

Persian lion of Darius of Susa Palace 

Persian Sculpture

Mithra, Persian Sun God, sacrificing a bull

   
  In 1871 the Tuilleries Palace was burnt down when the revolutionary army attacked. With the demolition of the Tuilleries Palace in 1882, the Louvre Palace became the sole museum of culture and arts. In this museum all rare and valuable artistic and cultural artefacts from all parts of the world are displayed. So many people dedicated their lives to enrich and expand this gigantic museum of museums which has many departments and sections. Marcel Dieulaoy, the French archaelogist, inaugurated the Susa galleries with his rare Iranian collections of art. In 1922 the Islamic arts gallery was opened. In 2012 the new Islamic gallery was opened in the lower ground floor. Between 1932 and 1938 Henri Verne, Director of National Museums, refurbished the galleries of the Egyptian and Near East antiquities. During the second World War (1939-1945) most of the articles were moved to safer Chateaus (castles) and the museum was closed. In 1943 the Musee de la Marine was transferred from the North Wing of Cour Carree(I and II floors) to a wing of the new Palais de Challiot. In 1945 the Asian Collections were moved to the Musee Guimet. 

Statue of Louis XIV,  Musee de Souverains

           

Alexander, the Great, Musee de Souverains

Musie Guimet, Asian Collections Galerie

A Row of Dancers, Musee Guimet

Statues of Buddhas, Musee Guimet

In 1981 President Francois Mitteraand launched the Grand Louvre Project by doubling the museum's exhibition's space to make this palace function as a full-fledged museum. The extension and modernization of the Louvre was entrusted to the eminent Chinese-American architect, Ieoh Ming Pei in 1983. The 21 feet high glass pyramid designed by I.M.Pei was inaugurated on March 30, 1989 adding another marvel to this museum. Rising from the center of the Cour Napoleon this pyramid serves as the focal point of the museum's main axes of circulation  leading to various departments. It also serves a grand entrance to the Lounge in the reception hall scattering light through its multi-faceted surfaces as if it symbolizes the universal significance of this museum encompassing all cultures of the world. In 1999 the French President Jacques Chirac announced the creation of a national Museum of Tribal and Aboriginal art on the ground floor of the Pavilion des Sessions. 

Eastern Antiquity Collections

 In this spacious musuem spreading over a vast area of 60,600 sq.meters there are three main wings. The Richlieu Wing on the north side has galleries displaying Near East antiquities and decorative arts. It has also precious collections of French, German and North European art. Famous paintings, drawings and prints right from Middle Ages to nineteenth century belonging to Europe are displayed. The works of great painters like Reubens, Rembrandt, Jan Van Eyck etc. are seen. On the first floor one can see ornamental clocks, furniture, tapestries and porcelain works of art. On the same floor the apartments of Napoleon III are located.

Denon Wing with Greek and Roman antiquities

Richlieu Wing with the sculptures, porcelain figurines and furniture of Middle Ages

Sully Wing with Egypt and Greek works of art along with French Paintings

 The Denon Wing on the south side has Greek and Roman antiquities along with Italian, French and Spanish paintings dating from 17th to 19th centuries. On the first floor one can see various items of furniture, clocks, porcelain ware and tapestries belonging to 17th and 18th centuries. The famous painting of Mona Lisa is on the first floor of Denon Wing in Room No. 6. The paintings done by great Italian painters like Raphael and Michael Angelo, Titian and Botticelli  are found in first, third, fifth and eight rooms. The famous sculpture of Winged Victory of Samothrace is seen on the first floor, Denon Wing.The Sully Wing on the east side displays collections of ancient Egypt and Greek art along with French paintings. The Sully Wing is the oldest part of the museum having thirty rooms on the ground and first floors. In the lower ground floor of this wing one can still see the remnants of the medieval castle of Louvre (Salle Base), a vaulted ceiling on two columns at the center of the hall. In the ground floor and underground rooms one can see French sculptures and Near East works of art.On the first floor there are royal apartments of Napoleon III with richly decorated chambers and paintings. On the second floor French paintings are displayed.

 This Museum has two satellite museums . The Louvre-Lens is an art museum located in the mining town, Lens, 200 kms north of Paris. With the collaboration of the Japanese Architectural Agency SANAA , the project was started in 2005 to display nearly six hundred works of art. It was opened for public in December, 2012. The  Louvre Abu Dhabhi Museum was started in 2007 in Abu Dhabhi, U.A.E. on the Saadiyat island with the collaboration of the local government and it was completed in December, 2015. 

 Thus the Louvre Museum has established a very fabulous and wonderful institution of global culture accessible to all by having branches in other places and linking the European masterpieces with those of other countries in the world. No wonder then that more than eight million visitors come to this marvellous musuem every year from all parts of the globe.
                                       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

   8th May, 2016                                                      Somaseshu Gutala