Musée du Louvre Fun Facts
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- The building, a former royal palace, lies in the center of Paris.
- The first royal "Castle of the Louvre" was founded by Philippe II in 1190, as a fortress to defend Paris against Viking attacks.
- The Louvre was first opened to the public as a museum on November 8, 1793, during the French Revolution.
- If you looked at every piece of art in the Louvre for only 30 seconds, and did this continuously round the clock, 24/7 without a break it would take you 100 days to see everything.
- The Louvre's permanent art collection spans a massive space of nearly 15 acres.
What will I find in the Louvre?
Who is that Mystery Lady?
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- The identity of Mona Lisa has been debated for many years. The most held too theory is that she was the wife of a wealthy silk merchant,
- It is the most visited, well known piece of art. painted sometime between 1504 and 1519 by Leonardo Da Vinci.
- It measures a mere 77 by 52 centimeters (about 30 by 21 inches).
- The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911 and resurfaced in 1913 when the thief tried to sell it.
- in 1956 someone threw acid at the bottom half, and later that year someone threw a rock at her chipping the paint.
- She has been insured for $100,000,000.00 the most valuable piece of artwork.
- Now when you visit her she is behind bullet proof glass.
- If you get to visit her, you will understand why she is so well know, she seems to be alive.
Aphrodite of Milos or Venus de Milo
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- Discovered on April 8 1820 by a peasant, living on the Aegean island of Melos while removing stones from an ancient wall nearby.
- It was found in several pieces—a nude upper torso, a draped lower body, and part of the right hip that, when put in place, allowed both parts to fit together without toppling over, a hand holding an apple, two herms standing on inscribed bases, and a fragment of an upper arm.
- The statue comprises two blocks of marble that had been sculpted separately and then joined at the hip. The left arm and foot also were fashioned as separate pieces and fixed in place with tenons. Aside from the fragment of the right hip, three other pieces had broken away in shipment—another from the right hip and two from the left, all of which had broken sometime after the statue was created originally, but now the sections from the left hip were imperfectly restored.
- The restorers thought that the arms belonged to another sculpture because of the rough finish. It is now thought that the sculptor left them rough because her arms were above eye level, but now no one knows where they are.
- Made of fine Parian marble and is 80" high.
- it is thought to be the work of Alexandros of Antioch, created between 130 and 90 BC.
Winged Victory
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- Nike of Samothrace aka Winged Victory.
- 2000 years old, massive and beautiful.
The Code of Hammurabi
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- We studied this in last years Socials Class
- Laws were created to establish a stable and peaceful culture.
What Else is there to do in Paris?
Top 10 Reasons you HAVE to visit Paris!!
- The Eiffel Tower -
- The Arc de Triomphe
- The Catacombs
- SHOPPING!!
- Notre Dame
- The Street Venders - my mouth is drooling at the thought of those yummy Nuttela Crepes
- Art Art and more Art
- The Pastries and breads.
- The Subway
- Moulin Rouge
Bibliography
Janas, Mavrick. World Traveler Me. Terrace, 21 03 2013.
Louver Museum. Louvre Museum Paris. 01 01 2013 <http://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne?
Louver Museum. Louvre Museum Paris. 01 01 2013 <http://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne?