As of today, there are more that 35,000 paintings and art objects in the collection of Musée du Louvre. If I were to look at each and everyone of it, I probably would need to eat and sleep inside the museum for three months!
However, I had only an afternoon to spare for this museum and I had to be selective of what I wanted to see.
However, I had only an afternoon to spare for this museum and I had to be selective of what I wanted to see.
First on my list was La Jaconde, which was definitely unmistakable. Anybody who visited Musée du Louvre without seeing it is as good as not have been there. People who have not been to Musée du Louvre may not know who La Jaconde is, but everybody knows Mona Lisa!
Although my plan was to head straight to meet Mona Lisa, I got very distracted along the way with many more extraordinary artworks, those on the ceiling included.
I have forgotten the name of the artists of these paintings but they are no less popular than Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael. I think the following painting is by Botticelli if I have not mistaken.
I really can't recall the artist of the following painting, but I think it has great influence on the Japanese comics characters. Do you think that it is by Titian?
I have absolutely no idea of the person(s) who painted the following two paintings, but they are really stunning.
After passing through a few rooms, I finally arrived at Room 6 where Mona Lisa kept the tourists busy. There was a crowd around the big panel with a small-size painting. I had to slowly move in the queue to come face-to-face with La Jaconde. To be honest, I was quite disappointed with the size. Size does matter! With all the legends revolving around Mona Lisa, I was expecting at least a life-size painting. Beside the size, the art work is no doubt exemplary, but just one of the masterpieces amongst many by Leonardo Da Vinci.
Don't you think that the following painting is as stunning as Mona Lisa? It's not the artwork of Leonardo Da Vinci by the way.
Other than the paintings, Musée du Louvre has a vast collection of sculptures. One of the more popular ones is this literally armless Winged Victory of Samothrace from the Hellenistic period. It is places at the end of the Daru staircase.
The crown of one of the kings of France is also on display in a showcase. The inner part looks like a coconut shell.
As I walked along, I saw this interesting life-size marble sculpture which is very athletic. It is the Borghese Gladiator from the Hellenistic period.
Another sculpture not to be missed is The Dying Slave by Michelangelo.
There is another literally armless sculpture from the Hellenistic period which is one of the highlights in Musée du Louvre. She is Aphrodite, the goddess of the sea. This sculpture is named Venus de Milo as it was found on the island of Melos in Greece. I am craving for a glass of Milo with fresh milk while I am writing this.
At the Ancient Egypt Department, the Seated Scribe is probably the most precious of all the artifacts, despite its size. I can't forget the smile on the face of this figurine as it was gazing at me so gracefully.
It was the Mesopotamian Code of Hammurabi that concluded my tour of Musée du Louvre in one afternoon. I wanted to explore further but the museum guards needed to go home to have romance with their wives and husbands.
