The Louvre museum is home to famous and iconic artworks. It was first a castle and home to the kings of France, starting with Philip August. You can still see some of the original walls and imagine the tiny castle that is now one of the world's largest museums.
Here is my list of 10 must-sees when you visit the museum in Paris. Of course, there is so much more to see in this museum than just these 10 things, but if you're going for the first time, start with a small, realistic list of things to see. It is really a huge museum and once you enter, you'll come to a room with escalators to choose which section to enter.
Grab a free map and once you start your journey, you'll realize how huge the museum truly is. Also, there are free maps online that you can look at before you go. Don't try to memorize everything, just get an idea of where you want to go.
1. Mona Lisa
Known as La Joconde in France, this was painted by Leonardo DaVinci between 1503 and 1506. It is a masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance.
When you go to see this painting at the Louvre, there will be a line of people waiting to see it. If you wait in line to see it, you will get close, but not too close. It is very well protected. And don't be disappointed, it is quite small (30in x 21in).
I listen to a podcast in French when I go for walks and one of the podcasts a couple weeks ago talked about a man who dressed up as an old woman in a wheelchair. He threw a piece of cake at the Mona Lisa. Why ? I do not know. But this painting is so well protected. They just had to clean the cake off the glass and continue the day.
2. Venus de Milo
This is a sculpture of the goddess Aphrodite, who is armless.
I looked up why this sculpture is so famous and found that it is so famous because the French tell you it's famous. In 1821, during the Napoleonic Wars, the Louvre had no Greek masterpieces until the Venus de Milo arrived.
Claiming the Venus was a Classical Greek sculpture to gain fame, it was later found out that this was actually a statue from the Hellenistic period, some 200 years after the Classical period. The Louvre also found the sculptor, someone who was not well known.
So what did the Louvre do ? They hid all evidence that made the Venus seem less important and continued promoting her fame to draw crowds from far and wide.
By the time the truth was admitted, she was already so famous and remains so today.
3. The Winged Victory of Samothrace, or the Nike of Samothrace
This is a Greek sculpture dating to the Hellenistic period of Greece, around the 2nd century BCE. It depicts the winged goddess Nike on the bow of a ship. She is headless and armless.
You can see this statue at the Louvre positioned on a staircase. If you are looking at this statue and head to the right, you will find the Mona Lisa. This area of the Louvre is usually pretty crowded, so you'll notice an increase in noise as you head to this statue and then the Mona Lisa.
4. The old walls of the original castle
The Louvre used to be a medieval castle, a lot smaller than it is today. The castle was begun in 1190 by Philip August.
You can see some of the original walls and walk around the donjon. You can also watch many videos that tell the story of the progression of the Louvre and how it got to be the size it is today. As I mentioned in my last blog, the Louvre was home to the kings of France until Louis XIV moved the royal residence to Versailles.
5. Sleeping Hermaphroditus
A marble sculpture of a female with male genitals laying on a cushion.
Hermaphroditus is the child of Hermes and Aphrodite, the term hermaphrodite coming from the mixture of these two names. This two-sexed child is portrayed as a female figure with male genitals.
6. The Pyramids
The pyramids of the Louvre were designed by the architect I. M. Pei, a Chinese architect. Known as the Grand project of the Louvre, this project was announced in 1981 by then French president, François Mitterand.
Now a symbol of the Louvre, don't miss out on taking pictures of these iconic pyramids outside of the museum.
7. Hammurabi's code
This legal code is considered the first written law from around 1755BCE.
This stele is over 7 feet tall and carved on basalt and includes over 4,000 lines of text. The law is written in cuneiform, or wedged writing, the earliest known form of writing. Above the writing is an image of Hammurabi and Shamash, the Babylonian sun god and the god of justice.
8. Hall of statues
If you are already planning to see the Venus de Milo, check out the other statues located on this floor. The sculptures are beautiful masterpieces.
9. Liberty Leading the People
This is a French painting by Eugène Delacroix that commemorates the July Revolution in 1830, painted shortly after this event, in the fall of 1830. It portrays a woman holding the French flag, leading the people to victory with exposed breasts. She is Liberty.
This painting can be found in the Louvre with other famous French paintings.
10. Sarcophagus of the Spouses
This is a masterpiece of Etruscan art and dates to the 6th century BCE. The sarcophagus is made out of terracotta and was once brightly painted.
The Etruscans lived in Italy and dominated Italy until the expansion of the Romans around the 4th century BCE.
The Louvre houses one of the world's largest collections of Egyptian artifacts, with over 50,000 artifacts.
The Louvre is a huge museum. My advice before you go, is to plan what you want to see. Even if you just use my list, that will till be a lot of walking. I have been to the Louvre many times and still feel like I haven't seen it all. So go easy on yourself. Don't forget to eat, drink water, and go to the bathroom.
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