The Louvre November 2003
At this point I can't find my Louvre info, so the desriptions will be short, and from a combination of my memory and a few placards I tool pictures of. They are very out of order... more how I wandered through the place, but I will try and group them by general category or historical period.
Also, unfortunately, the rooms containing most of the major French paintings were way too dark to take non flash pictures... so, you miss out on that as well. It must also be noted that most of them were very large... and I would have needed a large lens anyway!
Web site for the Louvre.
Hint: Buy a Paris Museum pass, 1-3 days, at most any Paris Museum, it will save you many hours in line... at the Louvre, it also allows you to enter via the Richaleau side, essentially a private entrance.
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Joan of Arc by Francois Rude, 1845, hearing "the call", notice that her right foot is already in armor.
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Door elements, Egypt/Cyprus, 11th century
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Box ivory, Spanish 966
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Ok, since going to Turkey in 2001 I have "come down" with an apprciation for Islamic design... and specifically Iznik tile (see the British Museum page, or my Turkey page) . The Louvre did not have a particularly large collection, but I thought they chose well. |
 
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Iran 17th Century
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India 17th Century
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14th Century, ivory
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Iran 16th century, boat anchor for a prince.
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16th Century Iranian
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14th Century Iranian Ceramics
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Cat 14th century Iranian
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Iranian 14th Century
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Door, Egyptian, 13th-14th century with ebony and ivory inlay
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13th-14th century Egyptian
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Koran pulpit, Egyptian 15th century
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Basin. |
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Cuneiform writing...
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Foundation pegs from Ur, 2550-2500 BC
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This is a tablet (both sides) describing the aftermath of a battle. The god of war (I think) has the enemy captives in a net... on the other side the birds carry away the body parts.
 
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Letter to the King of Lagash informing him of his sons death in combat. 2400BC
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This would be driven into the wall of a building with a peg. If I recall it was a good luck charm, blessing, or "this building was comissioned and built by" kind of thing. |
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bih-Il,
the Superintendent
of Mari
Mari,
(Middle Euphrates): Temple of Ishtar
Around 2400 BC |
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Designs would be carved on a cylindar for easy duplication (roll) onto wet clay. |
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Victory Stele
of Naram-Sin
Susa
Akkad period.
Around 2230 BC |
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Cylinder-seal
of Sharkalisharri
Mesopotamia
Akkadian period
(23rd century BC) |
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Guda, Prince of Lagash 2120BC
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Statue of d"Ur Nigirsu, prince of Lagash, brother of Gudea, 2210 BC
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Foundation nail
of Ur Ba'u
Tello, ancient Girsu
Neo-Sumerian period, IInd dynasty of Lagash (circa 2130 BC) |
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If you view the larger picture you can see the words delicately carved into this Agate(?) |
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Hero choking
a small lion
Khorsabad,
palace of Sargon II
Neo-Assyrian period, reign of Sargon II (721-705 BC)
Just call me Gilgamesh...
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These panels were easily 8ft tall. |
 
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Law-Codex
of Hammurabi
Susa
First half of the
18th century BC
Read more about the importance of Hammurabi's code... or read it for yourself!
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Winged Assyrian bull
Khorsabad, palace
of Sargon of Assyria
721-705 BC
These bulls are known as Shedu. What was really cool is how the feet were carved so if you looked at it from the side it was walking, but from the front the feet were together.
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Neo-Assyrian visions of demons and the underworld
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Iranian axe head. |
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Egyptian-style
pectoral decorated with a royal falcon
Byblos, royal necropolis
Middle bronze (2000-1600 BC) |
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This is a representation of Baal, a storm/weather god, but he is one of those gods mentioned in the Bible as one you should not be worshipping. |
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Fertility Goddess
Ugarit
1200-1150 BC |
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Capital of a column of the Audience Chamber (Apadana) in the palace of Darius I.
Susa
Acheminide epoch. Reign of Darius I
(circa 510 BC), Iran |
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The Archers of Darius
Susa
Around 500 BC, Iran |
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Triad of Palmyrian gods, Region of Palmyra, Syria
1st half of the 1st century AD (notice the Greek influence)
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Hippopotamus
c. 2000-1900 BC
(early Middle Kingdom) |
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Horus |
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These little blue guys are not Smurfs, but were buried to provide "servants" for the deceased in the afterworld. |
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The Seated Scribe
Sakkara
c. 2620-2350 BC
(4th or 5th Dynasty) |
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Egyptian Hieroglypths...The encircled set of three characters on the second row is called a cartouches (car-toosh) and it represents a proper, usually royal name.
I especially liked the bee...
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Women wailing... |
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I believe the seated figure is the Egyptian god Thoth |
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Yup, that is gold |
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"Victory
of Samothrace"
Samothrace
(island in the North Aegean Sea)
Circa 190 BC |
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Gregor Erhart
died in 1540
St. Mary Magdalene
Augsburg
Beginning
of the 16th century |
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Nude male combatant, called the
"Borghese Gladiator"
Antium (Italy)
Circa 100 BC |
 
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Sarcophagus, called the "Sarcophagus
of the Spouses"
Cerveteri
(Banditaccia necropolis)
Circa 520-510 BC
Etruscan
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Red-figure vase
in the shape of a duck
Chiusi group
Second half
of the 4th century BC |
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"Venus de Milo"
Melos
(the Cyclades islands)
Circa 100 BC
They would not let me use my little tripod, so the pics are a little fuzzy, but as was the case with the Mona Lisa, it was more intresting (for me) to watch the people looking at the Venus de Milo... "she's from Salinas and she looks like Venus de Mi-i-i-i-lowww"
 
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"Hermes
with the Sandal"
Rome
Roman copy
after an original
by Lysippos,
created circa 320 BC |
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The Muses |
Sleeping hermaphrodite
Roman copy after an original from the 2nd century BC
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St. George doing in the dragon... |
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Pretty cool display... you raised a little maginying glass in from of this so you could see the detail of the last supper. |
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The Emperor Triumphant known as the "Barberini Ivory"
Constantinople
First half of the 6th century |
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A good part of the French sculpture is displayed in this wonderful atrium... |
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A depiction of Saint Catherine of Alexandria |
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As with the de Milo, watching people at the Mona Lisa was very entertaining. The painting itself is behind a dull piece of glass... |
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Sections of the Louvre itself need to be in their own museum. |
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"Victory
of Samothrace"
Samothrace
(island in the North Aegean Sea)
Circa 190 BC placed very dramatically at the top of a staircase... |
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Diana... |
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Antoine Coysevox
1640-1720
Fame Riding Pegasus
Paris
1699-1702 |
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Michel Colombe
around 1430-after 1511
Saint George
Fighting the Dragon
Tours
1508-1509 |
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Tomb of Philippe Pot (died in 1494)
Burgundy
Last quarter
of the 15th century |
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Jean-Baptiste Pigalle
1714-1785
Mercury
Attaching his Wings
Paris
1744 |
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This hall contains painting by Peter Rubenas depicting the life of Queen... |
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Peter Paul Rubens
I though this was interesting because of the perspective.
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Frans Hals, influenced by Carravaggio
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Looks a aweful like Rembrhants mother?
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Antoine Coysevox
1640-1720
The flute-playing Shepherd |
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Guillaume Coustou 1st
1677-1746
Daphne
chased by Apollo
Nicolas Coustou
1658-1733
Apollo chasing Daphne
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Martin Van den Bogaert, known as Desjardins
1637-1694
Captives
I think this was supposed to represent Frances conquests? The guy to the left, if I remember correctly, is "Spain"
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These two were part of a series depicting the seasons...
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Perseus unchaining Andromeda from the rock to save her from the Krakon... if you don't like to read, rent "Clash of the Titans" |
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This is Milon, a former athlete attempting to recapture his former glory, he gets his hand stuck in a stump (not being as strong as he used to be) and is killed by a lion. The representation of this fable rendered in marble by Pierre Puget, between 1671 and 1682
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Herems nursing someone... can't remember... maybe Hercules |
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Spartacus... looks a lot like Kirk Douglas?!
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