We've
just returned home after watching the sunset
at
the Eiffel Tower...it was quite romantic!
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This
morning we set off for The Louvre.
Our
visit started with a queue for the 'skip the queue' entry!
We
purchased the tickets online! It was only short and caused by
the
extra security checks in place so we're not complaining.
We
spent the whole day at the museum and saw,
among
many other things, a room with 4 self portraits by Rembrandt.
2
rooms full of paintings by Van Dyck, a room full of paintings by
Rubens,
quite
a few works by Michaelangelo, Donatello and Leonardo da Vinci
Paintings
by Titan, Raphael, Goya and Turner and Constable.
Egyptian,
Greek, Etruscan and Mesopotamian antiquities,
Roman
antiquities and mosaics,
We
spent quite some time in the Decorative Arts and Sculpture
galleries,
here are just a few photos...
….....................................................................................
The
Venus de Milo, c 100 BC
One
of the most famous of all classical sculptures – but is she
Aphrodite,
Venus, Artemis or Diana? And how exactly is she holding her
(now
missing) arms? Questions, questions....
….............................................................................................
Victory
of Samothrace, c 190BC
The
famous goddess with swirling robes and feathered wings is thought to
mark a naval victory by the Island of Rhodes around 190BC.
…..........................................................................................
The
tomb of Philippe Pot of Burgundy (1428-1493),
counsellor
to Louis X1, King of France.
Philippe
Pot commissioned his tomb in his lifetime.
The
mourners, cloaked in dark costumes,
their
face hidden in their hoods, seem to advance slowly,
crushed
as much by their sorrow as by the weight of the slab
upon
which lies an effigy of the dead knight.
We
thought his hands look like they might move at any moment!
….......................................................................................
The
Three Graces, Jean-Jaques Pradier, 1831
The
goddesses of beauty in Greek mythology.
….......................................................................................
Cupid
Testing One of his Arrows,
by
French sculptor Jaques Saly
….......................................................................................
Melancholy,
1774
Biscuit
Porcelain
…......................................................................................
This
exquisitely crafted tiara and brooch,
were
commissioned by Napoleon III (1852-70)
as
part of a suite of jewellery he ordered the court jewellers
in
Paris to create, using diamonds, pearls and other precious stones,
from
the state treasury, as a wedding gift to
Eugenie
de Montijo, the daughter of a Spanish nobleman,
which
took place in January 1853.
…..........................................................................
The
Apartments of Napoleon III
We
could have a few extra guests at Wednesday night dinners
if
we had a table like Napoleon III.
….....................................................................
There were times when it was VERY crowded today eg. visiting this enigmatic lady...
and times when it was quiet and peaceful.
…..................................................................................................
Today
we've walked 21.2 k's...my fitbit tells me I'm an over achiever!
