Codex Hammurabi | Flickr: HEN-Magonza CC-BA SA 2.0Codex Hammurabi (1754 BC)
The Codex Hammurabi is one of the oldest surviving collections of laws in the world, created during the reign of the Babylonian king Hammurabi in the 18th century BC. It consists of a series of laws and penalties engraved on a stone monolith, regulating various aspects of Babylonian law. The Codex Hammurabi is famous for its principle of 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth', which represents a principle of retribution and balance in the judiciary.
Lamassu (Gatekeeper Figure) | Wiki Commons: Marie-Lan Nguyen CC-BY SA 2.0The Palace of Sargon (8th century BC)
The Inner Courtyard of Khorsabad shows the remains of a gigantic city that was built in less than ten years in the late 8th century BC. At that time, the area that today makes up Iraq was part of the powerful Assyrian Empire. King Sargon II had a new capital constructed in Khorsabad near Mosul, but after the death of its founder, the city lost its status as capital. The statues you see in the Louvre were meant to protect the palace and represent the best of the world: a human head, the body of a bull, and the wings of an eagle. Gilgamesh, holding a lion cub like a cat here, was considered the strongest man in the world. Ain Ghazal Statue (7,000 BC)
This statue is over 9,000 years old. It's hard to imagine what happened on Earth before the Stone Age. This statue is exactly from that time. It is a simple creation that is flat and has hay under the hardened mud. We have no information about this statue, because there was no form of writing at that time. We do not know what the statue represents, or what it is supposed to say.The Medieval Fortress (1200 AD)
The Louvre was partly built over the fortress of Paris that stood here in the Middle Ages. Originally, stones from old buildings were reused for new buildings or bridges. However, the walls of the fortress underground were overlooked and were not discovered again until 1984. That is why they still stand today and can be viewed among others in the Sully Wing of the Louvre. The fortress made up about ¼ of the Sully Wing and its associated courtyard. This shows us once again the incredible dimensions of the Louvre.
Liberty Leading the People | Unsplash: Jean Carlo EmerLiberty leading the people (1830)
‘Liberty Leading the People’ by Eugène Delacroix actually had a strong impact on culture and inspired Victor Hugo to write ‘Les Misérables’. The revolutionary atmosphere and the representation of freedom and uprising in Delacroix's painting reflect the themes and mood of ‘Les Misérables’. The connection between art and music shows how significant Delacroix's work is for artistic inspiration and how it can influence across different creative media.
The main character of the painting is Liberty herself. She became so famous and the national figure of the French Republic and is called ‘Marianne’. She is on the 1, 2, and 5 cent coins, on every official document, on stamps, as a bust in almost every French town hall, and as statues in many squares.
The Coronation of Napoleon (1807) | Wiki Commons: Jacques-Louis David/ Georges Rouget CC-BY SA 2.0The Coronation of Napoleon (1807)
You should view the painting from a distance to discover all the details. One of the figures in the painting is particularly interesting. In the painting, you can also discover the painter's mother, who watches the coronation from the middle of the lower balcony and stands in for Napoleon's mother. Napoleon's mother did not want to attend the coronation because she did not approve of the marriage between Josephine (Napoleon's first wife) and Napoleon.
The painting was made twice, as someone wanted a copy when the painting gained fame. We know that the original is in the Louvre, since the painter made a mistake in the 1st painting. This error is slowly becoming visible and shows us that Napoleon was previously standing a bit further back. His 'shadow' can vaguely be discovered on the marble wall today. The second execution of the painting can be found in Palace of Versailles.
Mona Lisa in the Louvre | Unsplash: The Free BirdsMona Lisa (1503)
An unimaginable scandal occurred in 1911: The ‘Mona Lisa’ was stolen in broad daylight. An Italian handyman, who occasionally worked in the Louvre, took the legendary painting to bring it back to his homeland Italy. It was not until 1913 that the perpetrator was caught. Among others, Picasso was accused of the theft. The painting was found in a suitcase in a hotel room in Florence. The reason why the ‘Mona Lisa’ was stolen is its size. The handyman could easily stash it in his bag and smuggle it out of the museum. It became famous after the theft due to the scandal, as everyone wanted to see the painting that had been stolen.
Nike of Samothrace | Unsplash: koutsou23The Venus de Milo (2nd Century BC) and the Winged Victory of Samothrace (circa 190 BC)
There are several Roman copies of both statues. However, the originals are the most interesting for most visitors and researchers. For both, it is true that you must view them from the right angle for the statue to come to life. The ‘Venus de Milo’ is best viewed from the left side, at a ¾ angle. This way, you see the movement in her body that you do not see from the front. The ‘Winged Victory of Samothrace’ is the second Greek original, which was broken into over 100 pieces. It is best viewed from the elevation to the right of the statue. This way, you see how the wind blows through her clothing.