Page 126 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Paris

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The Louvre’s Collection
The Louvre’s treasures can be traced back to the collection of François I (1515–47),
who purchased many Italian paintings, including the Mona Lisa (La Gioconda).
In Louis XIV’s reign (1643–1715), there were a mere 200 works, but donations and
purchases augmented the collection. The Louvre was first opened to the public
in 1793 after the Revolution, and has been continually enriched ever since.

The Raft of the Medusa (1819)
Théodore Géricault derived his inspiration for this gigantic
and moving work from the shipwreck of a French frigate
in 1816. The painting shows the moment when the few
survivors sight a sail on the horizon.
The Dying Slave
Michelangelo sculpted this work between
1513 and 1520 as part of a group of statues for Cour Marly
the base of the tomb of Pope Julius II in Rome.
Richelieu Wing
Main entrance

Underground visitors’
complex
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Pavillon des
Sessions
Gallery Guide
. Mona Lisa The main entrance is beneath the
Leonardo da Vinci painted this small glass pyramid. The works are displayed
portrait of a Florentine noblewoman,
known as La Gioconda, in about on four floors: the painting and sculpture
1504. It was soon regarded as the collections are arranged by country of origin. Cour Visconti-
prototype of the Renaissance portrait. There are eight departments: Near Eastern Islamic Arts
The sitter’s engaging smile has antiquities; Egyptian antiquities; Greek,
prompted endless commentary ever Etruscan and Roman antiquities; Islamic
since. The painting has its own wall art; sculptures; decorative arts; paintings;
in the Salle des Etats (Denon Wing). and prints and drawings.

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