The Secret of Splendor: A Journey Through the Magnificent Masterpieces of the Louvre Museum in Paris

The Louvre Pyramid is a large glass and metal pyramid designed by Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei, surrounded by three smaller pyramids, in the main courtyard of the Louvre Palace in Paris.
The pyramid used as an entrance in the Louvre’s courtyard has the exact same proportions as the Great Pyramid of Giza. At its base, the pyramid measures 116 feet wide and 70 feet high. 95 tons of steel and 105 tons of aluminium support the structure.

Great Sphinx of Tanis ( 2600 BC, Old Kingdom) The Egyptian appellation for a sphinx was Shesep-Ankh, or “Living Image”, a symbolic representation of the close relationship between the sun god (lion’s body) and king (human head).
The sphinx was inscribed with the names of the pharaohs Ammenemes II (12th Dynasty, 1929-1895 BC), Merneptah (19th Dynasty, 1212-02 BC), and Shoshenq I (22nd Dynasty, 945-24 BC). According to archaeologists, certain details suggest that this sphinx dates to an earlier period – the Old Kingdom (c. 2600 BC). 

Excavated in 1825 among the ruins of the Temple of Amun at Tanis, it’s one of the largest sphinxes outside of Egypt.

Law Code of Hammurabi (1792–1750 BC, Mesopotamia) Hammurabi’s Law Code is the longest surviving text from Old Babylon and is often considered the first written economic formula. Many laws are still in use, such as interest rates, fines for monetary wrongdoing, and inheritance laws concerning how private property is taxed or divided. It’s also one of the earliest examples of the idea of presumption of innocence, requesting that both the accused and accuser provide evidence to make their cases. It’s most famous for its scaled punishments, adjusting an “eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” as graded depending on social status (of slave versus free man).

The Venus de Milo is an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture. Venus de Milo is also known as the Aphrodite of Milos.

The statue is believed to be the work of Alexandros of Antioch.

It was created between 130 BC. and 100 BC

The statue is made of Parian marble with a height of 203 cm.

The statue is believed to represent Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. However, some researchers claim that it is the sea goddess Amphitrite, worshipped on the island of Milos.

The Victory of Samothrace is a Greek sculpture representing the goddess of victory, Nike. The sculpture is made of marble and skillfully captures the illusion of movement. Flowing draperies cling to the body of the figure, and the wings are spread wide, suggesting that the goddess descends from the heavens.

The statue represents the concept of victory, which the Greeks associated with the goddess Nike.

It is located in the Louvre Museum in Paris at the end of a staircase specially built for this stairwell. Visitors can look at the statue from several angles, thus being able to see its full majesty.

It is supposed to have been created in 190 BC in Ancient Greece by a sculptor from the island of Rhodes.

The statue was found in the sanctuary of the Cabiri gods, on the Greek island of Samothraki.

Easily recognizable by her wings, the goddess was created to probably celebrate a Rhodesian victory at sea, hence the presence of the prow of a ship as a base of support.

The Mona Lisa is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. 

Truly priceless, the painting cannot be bought or sold according to French heritage law. As part of the Louvre collection, the “Mona Lisa” belongs to the public, and by popular agreement, their hearts belong to her.

When Livingstone blurred the face with a filter, the Mona Lisa looked as if she were smiling cheerfully. But homing in on the fine detail gave her a more demure expression. So Livingstone says that in his painting, da Vinci achieved an unusual effect: the Mona Lisa’s smile changes depending on where you look.

The Roman river Tiber appears here as a traditional river-god: a reclining male figure, mature and bearded.
This imposing statue was discovered in Rome in 1512, on the site of the Iseum Campense, an ancient temple dedicated to Isis and Sarapis.
It is difficult to date this statue precisely. The Tiber and the Nile were often represented during the reign of Hadrian (AD 117-138).

The Wedding at Cana is the biggest painting displayed in the Louvre Museum. The painting was stolen by Napoleon and brought to Paris. Represents a wedding party in Cana, Galilee in which Jesus Christ performs his first miracle by turning water into wine.

I really loved this hall. Filled with natural light and a forest of ficus trees is great to take pictures and to relax admiring the amazing statues. The courtyard houses an army of grand marble statuary.

The Inverted Pyramid is located in the Carrousel du Louvre, an underground shopping mall opened in 1993 that adjoins the Louvre’s Salle Napoleon. During the day, through the glass, light penetrates and naturally illuminates the underground part especially the inverted pyramid built underground that complements Pei’s work on the surface. At the end of The Da Vinci Code, Langdon discovers that the Inverted Pyramid houses the tomb of Mary Magdalene.