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The Collection
The Musée du Louvre's eight separate
collections contain a staggering 380,000 items, dated from 6,000 BCE to
the 20th century. Of these, some 35,000 works of art are actually displayed
throughout the gallery complex. Here is a brief outline of the exhibits.
('Items' are total holdings, only a proportion of which are on view.)
Middle Eastern Antiquities (100,000
items)
Begun in 1881, this department showcases
ancient Middle Eastern civilizations before the coming of Islam. Exhibits
include earthenware, ceramics, sculptures and numerous other artworks
from Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian
cultures, notably The Code of Hammurabi, and the Persian Archers
of Darius I.
Egyptian Antiquities (50,000 items)
One of the world's largest collections
of artworks and artifacts from ancient Egypt, this department contains
more than 50,000 items from the Middle Kingdom, the New Kingdom, and the
Roman, Ptolemaic, and Byzantine periods, dating back to 4,000 BCE. Important
elements include the the Drovetti, Durand and Salt
collections, as well as a large number of exhibits excavated from Memphis.
Exhibits include: paintings, sculpture (including gold items), papyrus
scrolls, mummies, tools, clothing, jewellery, games, musical instruments,
and weapons.
Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities
(45,000 items)
One of the original parts of the Louvre's
treasury, this department contains an outstanding collection of statuary,
jewellery and ceramics from the Minoan,
Mycenean, Daedalic, Archaic,
Classical and Hellenistic eras of ancient Greece, as well as pottery,
reliefs, portrait busts and free-standing sculpture from the early Etruscan,
Republican and Imperial eras of ancient Rome. Important examples of Greek
art include the marble statues Venus de Milo (150-100 BCE),
Nike of Samothrace (c.190 BCE) and The Winged Victory of Samothrace
(190 BCE). Roman art is represented by
the portraits of Agrippa and Annius Verus.
Islamic Art (10,000 items)
The Louvre's exhibition of Islamic art
includes metalwork, wood and ivory carvings, ceramics, glass, carpet,
textiles, calligraphy, rare manuscripts
and miniature paintings from the 7th to the 19th century: a total of over
5,000 works.
Sculpture (6,500 items)
The Louvre's magnificent collection of
sculpture features all marble & bronze
statuary, reliefs, busts and other sculptures outside of classical antiquity
up to 1850. (Post-1850 works are now in the Musée d'Orsay.) Highlights
include Dying Slave (1505-16) by Michelangelo
and Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss (1787) by Antonio Canova.
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