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| Venus de Milo in Sully Wing |
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| Cupid bending over Psyche to revive her --- by Antonio Canova (1787) |
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| Athena, Goddess of wisdom and Valour by Pyrrhos (500 B.C.) |
This is the most profound as well as the most complex topic for me to dwell upon as our limited stay for a couple of hours to view one of the largest museums in the world makes me feel not at all worthy to attempt such a theme of vast magnitude. Out of the collection of 3,80,000 objects, nearly 35,000 works of art and artifacts have been selected for display in eight departments. As soon as our vehicle halted in the lower basement, our tour manager frisked us away quickly to ticket counter and managed to give the coupons within no time so that we can quickly rush in and have a quick look at the artifacts and exhibits of this most vast museum without wasting a fraction of a second.
We entered the dept. of the Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities of the Denon and Sully Wings. The whole gallery was flanked on both sides by marble sculptures of Greek and Roman gods with gleaming white figures of graceful physique exposing their naked bodies or covered partly with simple clothes without much decoration. The Greeks humanized their gods as if to make them proper prototypes of physical perfection. We saw the statue of Venus de Milo (Room;16, Ground Floor, Sully Wing), belonging to 100 B.C. standing on the pedestal and showing the beauty of her well-proportioned tall physique. Only a crown of leaves adorned her curls. We saw the statue of winged Cupid (designed by Canova) bending over his mistress Psyche as if to kiss her and rejuvenate her. The statue of wrestlers interlocked together shows their graceful postures caught by the sculptor. The bearded statue of Dyonisius holding a bunch of grapes shows his hedonistic zeal for wine and sensual pleasures. The stalwart statue of Athena with helmet and buckled armour and holding a spear in her hand revealed the right posture and the strong muscular limbs of the goddess. Diana, the Moon Goddess of hunting, with a bow and quiver and touching a fawn with her palm, shows the skills of the sculptor in shaping the curves of her body. The heroic body of Hercules caught in the coils of a mighty Hydra shows the valiant figure trying to kill the reptile.Another famous statue (in Room:22, first floor, Denon Wing) is the marble statue of the winged victory-- Goddess Nike of 2nd century B.C.-- of Samothrace standing on the prow of a ship.Though the head is missing the statue revealed the perfect workmanship of the sculptor. There are nearly 275 works of art dating from 400 B.C. to 600 A.D. comprising the statues of gods, goddesses, heroes, emperors, mythological events and common figures. The rich culture of ancient Greece and Rome appeared before our eyes in artistic and solid shape. In ten rooms that form two galleries all these sculptures and statues were arranged in the ground floor of the Denon Wing.
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| Diana, Moon Goddess by Christabel Gabriel Allegrain, an 18th century French sculptor |
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| Hercules fighting with a monstrous serpent, Hydra ( a Bronze sculpture) by Francois Joseph Bosio in 1824 |
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| Wrestlers, a copy of the Greek Original 300 B.C. by Philippe Magnier carved between (1684--1687) |
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| Winged Victory, Goddess Nike, of Samothrace (200 B.C.) in I floor, Denon Wing |
Later we saw the Spanish the Italian paintings on the first floor of the Denon Wing. Next we went to see the most admired world-famous portrait of Mona Lisa, the star attraction of the museum, in Room NO.6, I floor, Denon Wing. A large group of tourists stood there clicking photos of that portrait. This painting of moderate size (21x30 inches) does not appear so impressive at first sight. Leonardo Da Vinci used a very simple background and somber colors without much showing off or decorative splendor. The beauty of this portrait lies in that sheer simplicity and tranquil expression of that visage with calm and innocent looks and in the curve of lips with a faint smile with a touch of tenderness. It is much like the saintly smile of Madonna but not like the flashy and voluptuous charms of Helen or Nefertiti. The arch of eye brows seems to be a little worn out, almost invisible and her hairline is parted in the middle without lustrous waves of curls lingering on the brow. Mona Lisa in common Italian means "My Lady Lisa" which is the portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giacondo. Leonardo da Vinci painted this portrait of this noble lady between 1503 and 1506. But some people say that he continued painting that portrait adding new features. The French king Francis I acquired this portrait by paying 2604 livers 4 sols and 4 deniers to Salai, a student of Leonardo da Vinci.
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| Mona Lisa Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci , I Floor, Denon Wing |
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| Wedding at Cana by Paolo Veronese in 1563 |
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| St. George slaying a dragon by Raphael in 1504 |
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In the same gallery we saw another large painting showing Jesus Christ at the wedding feast in Cana where he performed the miracle of turning water into wine. This painting done by Paolo Veronese shows the crowded scene of wedding hall filled with lavish arrangement of tables laden with many dishes, goblets and vessels. In the middle Christ is seen seated surrounded by his disciples and followers. The painter caught the splendor of the wedding feast by using bright colors and ornamentation. The crowded atmosphere and the gracious looks of Jesus Christ were finely pictured on the broad canvass.
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| Great Sphinx of Tanis Body of a lion with the head of a King) in Sully Wing Belonging to times earlier than 2000 B.C. |
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| Sarcophagus (stone coffin with carvings and inscriptions) of Ramses III, Ground Floor, Sully Wing |
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| Seated Egyptian Scribe, Thoth, scribe to Gods (sculpted between 2620 B.C. and 2500 B.C. |
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| Wooden Coffins from Lebanon |
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| Dining Room, Royal Apts. of Napoleon III, Richlieu Wing, I Floor |
Later we entered the rooms of Sully Wing where Egyptian sculptures and artifacts are displayed. It is huge collection of nearly 50,000 works of art housed in more than 20 rooms. At the entrance we saw the statue of the sphinx of Tanis which is the guardian spirit of this Egyptian art collection. The head of a pharaoh with typical headgear is seen near the entrance. We saw many sarcophagi from Lebanon (wooden coffins in human shape) with painted faces and dresses. The sarcophagus of Ramses III (the famous Egyptian king who ruled Egypt from (1187 B.C. to 1156 B.C.) is a huge stone coffin with engraved figures and designs. We also saw the statues of Egyptian gods and ladies with long eyelashes and head gears. "The Seated Scribe ", Thoth (scribe to gods) is a statue of a person squatting on the pedestal with a quill and a book in his hands. The upper part of his body is quite bare without any dress or ornaments. This statue made of limestone looks very realistic and life-like. We also saw a mummy swathed in covering from head to foot lying on the table. In Egyptian section the statues are mostly made of granite, wood and metal. The Dutch paintings are on the second floor in Richelieu Wing. The French paintings are located on the second floor in Sully Wing. We could not go further as the time allotted for us was nearly over.
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| A shop at Carrousel du Louvre |
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| Glass Pyramid Entrance to Louvre Museum |
We got down and came out. Near the exit there is a beautiful 21-meter high glass pyramid in the center of the entrance hall (Cour Napoleon) shining in the evening lights. This was designed by the eminent Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pai in 1989. This pyramid acts as focal point from where different corridors lead to different sections and wings. We went down to lower floor and drank hot coffee and felt refreshed. At the stall in the underground shopping center "Carrousel du Louvre", we saw many books and novels giving a lot of information about the museum and about Mona Lisa. We bought a few picture cards and came out to catch our bus where our tour manager was waiting eagerly to take us back to our lodgings. Our schedule packed with too many sightseeing places made us very much tired and exhausted. But we were happy that we had been able at least to have a glimpse of this largest museum which one can not see in a few hours. For art lovers it may require months to see and appreciate the rare and wonderful creations of great artists and sculptors. No wonder that this most spacious and richest museum of world arts, culture and civilization attracts more than ten million tourists every year.
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11th May, 2016 Somaseshu Gutala
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