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Cell phone reception in the museum is very bad.
Connect to the Louvre wifi and click on the button above to download the itinerary as a PDF while you are waiting in line (or at your hotel before you go).
If you have a good connection, the whole process takes about a minute.
You will visit the three wings in this order.
This is what you will see and the order you will see it in.
It will take about an hour and a half, walking at a normal pace.
Pick up a free museum map from one of the information booths on your way in.
You can use it to fan yourself if the weather's warm.
Once you're ready, go to the Denon entrance. There's a picture of the Mona Lisa to guide you.
Denon
Denon
Follow the signs directing you to the Mona Lisa. You'll go up a semi-spiral staircase to your right, then a second short flight of stairs to your left.
You can now see the pyramid through the glass doors directly in front of you. You can go left or right. Go left.
1. Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss
Antonio Canova (Italy)1793Neoclassicism1. Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss
You know who Cupid is, he's this little guy.
He eventually grew up and married Psyche, the goddess of the soul.
Good job, young man. Good for him.
Psyche was born a mortal and had fallen into a death-like sleep after being poisoned. She was saved by Cupid and later granted immortality by Zeus.
2. Michelangelo's Slaves
2. Michelangelo's Slaves
Michelangelo (Italy)
1513 – 1516
High Renaissance
The Rebellious Slave
The Rebellious Slave
Michelangelo was an extremely talented painter and sculptor. Among other works, he is responsible for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the Pietà in Saint Peter's Basilica, and the statue of David.
The Dying Slave
The Dying Slave
These statues were part of a massive funerary monument meant to include 40 figures.
The project was significantly scaled back and these two were never used. They were made to be viewed from the front, so are not as finished as some of his other work.
As you're walking back, you'll cross John the Baptist's head on a platter.
3. Winged Victory of Samothrace
3. Winged Victory of Samothrace
200 – 190 B.C.E.
Hellenistic period
Found on the Greek island of Samothrace, the statue probably commemorates a military victory. It represents Nike, the goddess of victory, alighting on the prow of a ship. Look at how well the sculptor depicts her tunic. It's easy to imagine the fabric wet from the ocean spray.
The right wing was not found. It was replaced with a plaster version.
Her right hand was found later and is in a glass box to the left (it's not that impressive).
The next room is the Galerie d'Apollon, where the burglary happened. It's still closed. Instead, turn right when you get to the top of the stairs and follow the signs to the Mona Lisa. As you're walking down the hallway in room 710, you'll see this painting on your left. You can scroll down the page and pick up the tour from there.
As you walk through room 704, take a look at the ceiling. There's a depiction of Icarus, falling from the sky.
4. Galerie d'Apollon
4. Galerie d'Apollon
This is the room that was burgled!
This is the Galerie d'Apollon (named after Apollo, the god of the sun). After a fire destroyed this section of the Louvre, Louis XIV (the Sun King) had it rebuilt. It was designed by the same artist who would later design Versailles. The room itself is the main attraction. The taller glass stands in the middle of the room contain jewelry worn by the wives of Napoleon I and Napoleon III.
If it's a warm day, stop by the floor grates and feel the air conditioning.
Diadem of the Duchess of Angoulême, also known as Marie Thérèse of France
She was the only child of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette who lived past the Revolution.
Emerald necklace of Marie-Louise of Austria
She was the second wife of Napoleon I. He divorced Josephine (his first wife) because they were never able to have a child together.
Crown of Empress Eugénie
She was the wife of Napoleon III.
5. Saint John the Baptist
Leonardo da Vinci (Italy)1513 - 1516High Renaissance5. Saint John the Baptist
John was a Jewish preacher and Jesus' cousin.
He was later decapitated by Herod, a Galilean ruler, and his head was presented on a platter.
Here he is depicted in happier times.
6. La Belle Ferronnière
Leonardo da Vinci (Italy)1490 - 1496Italian Renaissance6. La Belle Ferronnière
La Belle Ferronnière translates as "The Ironworker's Beautiful Wife". This name actually refers to a different painting, but at some point it was mistakenly applied to this one. It is also known as "Portrait of a Lady" or "Portrait of a Woman of the Court of Milan", as the sitter's identity is not certain.
Around 20 paintings are attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Five of them are on this wall. Had she not been stolen, the Mona Lisa would certainly have been here as well.
7. The Wedding at Cana
7. The Wedding at Cana
Paolo Veronese (Italy)
1563
Mannerism
At 9.9 x 6.8 meters (32.5 x 22 feet), this is the largest painting at the Louvre.
The painting was originally commissioned for a monastery in Venice, but in 1797 it was looted by the French army. Because of its size, it was cut into pieces before being reassembled in France. After Napoleon's defeat in 1815, the director of the Louvre falsely claimed that the painting was too large and too fragile to be returned to Italy, and another painting was sent in its place.
The administrator was Vivant Denon, the first director of the Louvre. This wing of the museum is named after him.
The painting depicts a wedding banquet at which the hosts have run out of wine. Jesus orders the servants to fill jugs with water, which he then turns into wine. This is his first miracle. Afterwards, a guest remarks to the host that they have departed from custom and saved the best wine for last.
Self-portrait
Paolo Veronese
1558 - 1563
Veronese depicts himself as one of the musicians (and with much less hair than in his self-portrait).
The cooks have killed a lamb, symbolizing the future sacrifice of a certain Lamb of God.
The painting underwent a three-year restoration in the 90s, during which it was discovered that the house steward originally had a green coat, which had later been repainted red.
The Louvre decided to remove the over-paint and restore the original green. This was very controversial, as it was not clear if the red had been done by Veronese himself or by someone else.
8. Mona Lisa or La Joconde
Leonardo da Vinci (Italy)Circa 1503 – 1506High Renaissance8. Mona Lisa or La Joconde
A portrait of the Italian noblewoman Lisa del Giocondo.
Da Vinci pioneered a technique called sfumato which comes from the Italian for smoky or hazy. It requires dozens of fine layers and allows for a much softer transition between colors. Harsh lines are replaced with soft, subtle, more naturalistic transitions from light to dark.
This is a comparison of Mona Lisa's facial features versus those in The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (a contemporary of Da Vinci).
The painting was stolen in 1911 and not recovered until two years later.
The theft transformed the Mona Lisa from a somewhat well-known painting into the most famous in the world.
Vincenzo Peruggia
The handsome thief.
9. The Raft of the Medusa
9. The Raft of the Medusa
Théodore Géricault (France)
1818 - 1819
Romanticism
This painting depicts the shipwreck of the Medusa, a French ship that ran aground 50 miles off the coast of West Africa. 150 men were abandoned on a makeshift raft. When they were finally rescued two weeks later, there were barely a dozen survivors.
Portrait of Théodore Géricault
Horace Vernet
1822-1823
You can just barely make out the ship that will save them.
The black paint used by Géricault contained pitch (tar), which has contracted over time, making many sections of the painting difficult to see. There's nothing that can be done to reverse this problem.
A father mourns the death of his son.
A representation of the raft. It measured approximately 20 x 7 meters (65 x 20 feet).
Géricault borrowed body parts from the morgue to practice his technique.
10. Liberty Leading the People
Eugène Delacroix (France)1831Romanticism10. Liberty Leading the People
France has had three revolutions. The first one is the most famous, it started in 1789 and lasted ten years. Delacroix is depicting the second revolution. It's known in French as Les Trois Glorieuses, because it only lasted three days (July 27-29, 1830). In English, it's usually referred to as The July Revolution.
Raise your fist in solidarity.
Self-portrait
Eugène Delacroix
1837
Liberty is wearing a phrygian cap. This is what the men wore during the first revolution. The mascot for the Paris Olympics was an animated phrygian cap.
Delacroix depicts the second day of the revolution, when a French flag was raised on Notre Dame's south tower.
In the painting, the spire of the cathedral is missing. It was taken down in the 1790s because it was unstable and was not restored until the 1850s, so Delacroix had never seen it.
11. Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (France)1854Troubadour style11. Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII
Joan of Arc was a young woman who believed that she had been sent by God to help defeat the English during the Hundred Years' War. Though she lacked any military training, she seems to have played an important role in rallying the French troops and eventually turning the tide of the war.
Self-portrait
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
1859
(I briefly had a similar haircut in high school.)
Ingres depicts himself in the painting.
The only contemporary image we have of Joan is this (angry) sketch in a legal document from 1429 (although the author was relying on second-hand descriptions of her).
There's a statue of Joan of Arc in the Rue de Rivoli, right where the Louvre ends and the Tuileries Gardens begin.
12. The Coronation of Napoleon
12. The Coronation of Napoleon
Jacques-Louis David (France)
1808
Neoclassicism
Napoleon was proclaimed Emperor of the French on May 18th, 1804. The official ceremony took place at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in December of the same year.
Napoleon invited the Pope, but then placed the crown on his own head during the ceremony.
Self-portrait
Jacques-Louis David
1794
David depicts himself in the painting. Just below him are his wife and his twin daughters.
Napoleon's mother was not present at the ceremony, but she is nonetheless given a place of honor in the painting.
The original painting showed Napoleon crowning himself (which is what really happened), but he thought people might find this too off-putting, so he asked David to do something different.
You can just barely make out Napoleon's upturned face and the laurel crown from the painting's first version.
This change left an empty space in the painting, which David filled with a representation of Julius Caesar.
A copy of the painting (also done by David) is at the Palace of Versailles. In it, Pauline (Napoleon's favorite sister) is given a pink dress to distinguish her from her sisters.
David had many of the participants come to his studio and pose for him. It's a tremendous painting.
13. The Death of Marat
This is the same painter, the painting might have been moved for the exhibition.Jacques-Louis David (France)1793Neoclassicism13. The Death of Marat
Jean-Paul Marat was a journalist and politician who encouraged political violence during the French Revolution.
He was assassinated in his bathtub by a young woman named Charlotte Corday, who believed his radical positions were harming the Revolution.
The painting is by Jacques-Louis David, the same guy who painted Napoleon's coronation. He depicts Marat as a martyr by portraying him as a Jesus-like figure.
Pietà
Michelangelo
1498 – 1499
The Entombment of Christ
Caravaggio
1603 – 1604
The Death of Marat
Jacques-Louis David
1793
Portrait of Jean-Paul Marat
Joseph Boze
1793
Portrait of Charlotte Corday
Jean-Jacques Hauer
1793
Painted at her request, a few hours before her execution.
Charlotte Corday
Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry
Circa 1860
The assassination is a very famous event and has been depicted many times. Unlike other artists, David chose not to represent Corday, so as not to draw attention away from Marat.
14. Self-Portrait with Julie
14. Self-Portrait with Julie
Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun (France)
1789
Vigée Le Brun was Marie-Antoinette's official painter. This is a self-portrait with her daughter.
Self-Portrait with Julie
Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun
1787
She painted another version two years earlier. It's located in the Sully wing, Salle 933, Level 2.
Smarthistory does really good videos about lots of famous works of art; I've learned a lot from them. Subscribe and watch a few (probably not now, but they do have subtitles).
Now down the stairs to the Sully wing.
When you reach the bottom of the stairs and turn right, you might notice a bronze medallion with the word Arago on the ground.
You can find 135 of these medallions throughout the city. They trace the Paris meridian (the line of longitude running from the North Pole through Paris to the South Pole). Today we often use the Greenwich meridian to reference time (GMT), but the Paris meridian was historically a rival to it.
The medaillions bear the name of François Arago, a French mathematician and physicist who helped to calculate the meridian. There is at least one other medallion in the Louvre, in the hall connecting the Cour Puget with the Cour Marly.
In the Da Vinci Code, the meridian line is referred to as the Rose Line.
Sully
Sully
15. Venus de Milo
15. Venus de Milo
circa 150 - 130 B.C.E.
Hellenistic period
A statue of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, found on the island of Milos in Greece.
After Napoleon was defeated in 1815, the Louvre had to give back much of the art that was looted during his military campaigns.
One notable piece was the Venus de' Medici, considered to be one of the Louvre's top attractions.
At the time the Venus de Milo was discovered (in 1820, five years after Napoleon's defeat), scholars considered the Classical period to be the golden age of Greek sculpture.
It was at first unclear if the statue came from this period, or from the less impressive Hellenistic period. The director of the Louvre decided to side with scholars who said she was from the Classical era. A statue from this period would help the Louvre to compensate somewhat for the artwork they had recently lost.
Shortly after she was discovered, however, a sketch was made that appears to show the missing piece of her pedestal. The inscription on the pedestal includes the name of a city that did not exist during the Classical period, strongly implying that the statue was instead from the Hellenistic era.
This missing piece was conveniently lost when the statue was put on display, but today it is believed to have been legitimate.
16. Child Strangling a Goose
16. Child Strangling a Goose
Roman copy of a Greek original.
This is one of four identical statues found in the same location.
The four are variously referred to as: Child with goose, Child playing with a goose, Child struggling with a goose, and Child strangling a goose.
17. Sleeping Hermaphroditus
17. Sleeping Hermaphroditus
In Greek mythology, Hermaphroditus was the son of Hermes and Aphrodite. A female nymph fell in love with him and prayed to the gods that they would be united forever. The gods answered her prayers, and their forms were merged into one.
According to the Louvre's website, "To understand the nature of this fascinating figure, it has to be seen from all sides."
The statue is once again a Roman copy of a Greek original. It's probably from around the second century B.C.E.
The marble mattress the statue is lying on was created much later, in 1620, by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini (known in France as Le Bernin).
18. Caryatids
18. Caryatids
Jean Goujon (France)
1550 - 1551
The balcony at the far end is a musician's gallery that gives the room its name. A caryatid is a column or pillar that depicts a woman.
You can also see caryatids on the many Wallace fountains throughout Paris. The fountains get their name from Sir Richard Wallace, a wealthy Englishman who donated them to the city after the Franco-Prussian War. They provide free potable water.
If you need a food break, follow the blue arrow and turn left to go back to the pyramid.
Take the Sully entrance when you come back.
19. Medieval Louvre
19. Medieval Louvre
The Louvre was originally a medieval fortress meant to protect Paris from the English. You're walking through the moat that surrounded the building.
As you walk, you'll sometimes see shapes carved into the stone (usually little hearts). These are the stone masons' marks to show which team had carved each stone so they could get paid.
An outline of the wall built around the year 1200 to protect Paris from the English.
The next section to your left (the Sphinx's right) is the Egyptian section. I believe this part will be closed on Fridays. In this case, follow the blue arrows and go back to the pyramid.
Then re-enter via the Richelieu wing. The Cour Puget will be on your right.
Scroll down to the Cour Puget section and follow the map backwards.
Puget Courtyard -> Hammurabi -> Palace of Sargon -> Ayn Ghazal -> Palace of Darius -> Eshmunazar II.
It's not too difficult, but I apologize nonetheless. I don't currently have a better solution.
20. The Great Sphinx of Tanis
20. The Great Sphinx of Tanis
It was found in the ruins of a temple in the former ancient Egyptian city of Tanis. It's unclear exactly when it was sculpted, but it's around 4,000 years old.
21. The Temple Room
21. The Temple Room
A great room with lots of Egyptian statues.
Horus offers life to the pharaoh Ramesses II.
Circa 1275 B.C.E.
22. Sarcophagus of Ramesses III
22. Sarcophagus of Ramesses III
23. The Mummy
23. The Mummy
He's covered in cartonnage (layers of linen or papyrus covered with plaster). Spooky.
24. Bes
24. Bes
An Egyptian deity worshipped as a protector of households.
The room next to this one (318) has a nice collection of figurines and steles (inscribed stone slabs).-
25. Sarcophagus of Eshmunazar II
25. Sarcophagus of Eshmunazar II
Unearthed in 1855 in modern-day Lebanon, it contained the body of Eshmunazar II, Phoenician King of Sidon (circa 539 – circa 525 B.C.E.).
This next section will probably be closed on Mondays. I recommend that you follow the Sortie signs back to the Pyramid, then re-enter via the Richelieu wing. The Cour Puget will be on your right.
Scroll down to the Cour Puget section and follow the map backwards.
Puget Courtyard -> Hammurabi -> Palace of Sargon
Then turn back around and continue the itinerary.
26. The Palace of Darius
26. The Palace of Darius
Ornaments taken from a palace complex built in the ancient city of Susa (in present-day Iran), during the reign of Darius I (6th century B.C.E.).
Capital with two bulls. The different shadings are because it's a composite (made from pieces of several different capitals).
The capitals are from an apadana (a large hall) and would have sat on top of massive stone columns to support a wooden roof.
Frieze with griffin
Frieze with archer
Frieze with griffin
27. Ayn Ghazal statue
27. Ayn Ghazal statue
Discovered in Amman, Jordan, the statue is approximately 9,000 years old.
please. i cannot die
On to Richelieu. Two wings down, one to go.
Richelieu
Richelieu
28. The Palace of Sargon II
28. The Palace of Sargon II
Decorations from an Assyrian (present-day Iraq) palace, built around 700 B.C.E.
Lamassu
A cross between a bull, a man, and a bird, these statues represent protective deities. They were located at the entrance to the palace.
Gilgamesh
He was a hero in ancient Mesopotamian mythology. There's a long poem about his many accomplishments called the Epic of Gilgamesh.
29. The Code of Hammurabi
1792 – 1750 B.C.E.29. The Code of Hammurabi
This is one of the oldest, best-preserved legal texts we have. You probably learned about it in middle school. It is written in the Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian.
The top of the stele features an image of King Hammurabi of Babylon (present-day Iraq). He is speaking with Shamash, the sun god and god of justice.
The text contains the same law of exact retaliation found later in the Bible: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
La Cour Puget / Puget Courtyard
La Cour Puget / Puget Courtyard
30. Milo of Croton
30. Milo of Croton
Pierre Puget (France)
1671-1682
Baroque
Milo of Croton was a famous Greek athlete and Olympic champion.
Milo wanted to prove that even in his old age, he could split a tree stump with his bare hands, but his hand became stuck in the stump. Trapped, he was later killed by a wolf. It's a lesson in humility.
Puget is merciful and has Milo be attacked by a lion, a more noble animal.
This courtyard is named after the sculptor.
31. Spartacus
31. Spartacus
Denis Foyatier (France)
1830
Neoclassicism
Spartacus (circa 103 – 71 B.C.E.) was an escaped slave who helped lead a major uprising against the Roman Republic. He is represented breaking his chains.
Under your breath, quietly whisper "I'm Spartacus".
32. Lion with serpent
32. Lion with serpent
Antoine-Louis Barye (France)
1835
Romanticism
If you walk through the Tuileries Gardens after the museum, you'll see a stone version of the sculpture.
33. The Four Captives
33. The Four Captives
Martin Desjardins (France)
1682-1686
The four statues form the base of a monument meant to celebrate the military victories of Louis XIV.
Each of the prisoners symbolizes an age of life and a specific emotion. They were also widely understood to represent neighboring countries that had been defeated by the French military.
Youth / Hope / Spain
Adulthood / Rebellion / Holland
Middle age / Grief / Brandenburg
Old age / Despondency / The Holy Roman Empire
La Cour Marly / Marly Courtyard
La Cour Marly / Marly Courtyard
Almost done! But if you need a break, follow the blue arrow left to go back to the pyramid.
When you come back, take the Richelieu entrance. Puget Courtyard will be to your right, and Marly Courtyard to your left.
34. Tomb of Philippe Pot
34. Tomb of Philippe Pot
This is a funerary monument commissioned by Philippe Pot, a nobleman from the Burgundy region. Pot commissioned the monument in 1480 when he was 52. He died 13 years later. The inscriptions describe his various achievements.
35. The Napoleon III Apartments
35. The Napoleon III Apartments
France has twice been ruled by a Napoleon. The most famous of the two is Napoleon Bonaparte - Emperor Napoleon I. He's the one who's been present in the paintings we've seen up until now. His son was Napoleon II, but he never ruled.
His nephew was Emperor Napoleon III. This section of the Louvre was constructed under his rule. In the beginning, you'll see a few smaller, simpler apartments. These are where his Minister of State lived. The more lavish rooms were reserved for formal receptions.
Whenever you see a reference to the First Empire, this refers to the reign of Napoleon I (1804 - 1815).
The Second Empire refers to the reign of Napoleon III (1852 - 1870). This is when Haussmann's renovation of Paris took place.
The chandelier weighs 3 metric tons (over 6,500 pounds).
The air-conditioning is really bad here, but it won't take you long to make it through.
Napoleon III never lived in these apartments. The name refers to the decorative style.
Both Napoleon I and Napoleon III lived in the Tuileries Palace (although not at the same time), located in the red circle. It was just as grand and just as impressive as the Louvre, but it was unfortunately burned down in 1871, after the Franco-Prussian War.
Portrait of Napoleon III
Franz Xaver Winterhalter (Germany)
1853
The man, the myth, the mustache.
Portrait of Empress Eugénie
Franz Xaver Winterhalter (Germany)
1853
We saw some of her jewelry in the Galerie d'Apollon.
That's pretty much it! We'll pass by some medieval tapestries and the Louvre fashion exposition on our way out. But you'll see that the air conditioning is much better once you leave the apartments.
Thanks for using the itinerary, and please let me know if you have any suggestions!
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