![]() ![]() Welcome to Susa, one of the oldest cities in the world. Image Credit: Copyright ©2015 Musée du Louvre / Thierry Ollivier Near Eastern Antiquities, Room 229, Richelieu Wing, Level 0 Some of Botta’s finds, including this pair of bulls, made their way to the Louvre, where the world’s first Assyrian museum was inaugurated on May 1, 1847. The excavation conducted under his aegis led to the rediscovery of a lost civilization, known only from the Bible and other ancient texts. The unfinished city of Khorsabad was rediscovered in 1843 by Paul Émile Botta, the French vice-consul in Mosul. His body was never found, which led some to believe he was cursed this is why his son and successor, King Sennacherib, decided to move the capital to Nineveh. Their protective role was questioned when King Sargon II died in battle in 705 BCE. They have the body and ears of a bull, the wings of an eagle, and a human face. These 28-ton creatures, depicted from the front or the side, were each carved from a single alabaster block. His palace, intended as a symbol of omnipotence, was decorated with benevolent genii called aladlammû (“protective spirit”) or lamassu (“bull-man”). In about 713 BCE, he founded Dûr-Sharrukin (the “fortress of Sargon”) in the north of present-day Iraq, a new capital meant to become the largest city in the ancient world. King Sargon II reigned over the Assyrian Empire in the 8th century BCE. Image Credit: Copyright ©Musée du Louvre, RMN / Thierry Ollivier ![]() Near Eastern Antiquities, Room 227, Richelieu Wing, Level 0 There are replicas of the stele in numerous institutions, including the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City and the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Below this figurative relief are about 4,130 lines of cuneiform text, most of it setting forth a wide range of criminal, family, property, and commercial laws, including the famous lex talionis: the eye-for-an-eye principle. The top of the stele features an image of King Hammurabi himself with Shamash, the Babylonian sun god and god of justice. It is the longest, best-organized, and best-preserved legal text from the ancient Near East, engraved on a 7.4-foot basalt stele, or pillar, discovered in 1901 at the site of Susa in present-day Iran. The department of Near Eastern Antiquities holds the Code of Hammurabi, said to have been composed around 1755–1750 BC by the sixth sovereign of the First Dynasty of Babylon. You can refer to the Louvre’s interactive map to navigate. Note: The location of each artwork is listed below its description. ARTnews is here to help, with our pick of 24 must-see artworks displayed at the Louvre. But there is so much beauty around that it may seem impossible to decide where to start. Millions of visitors come each year to have at least a peek at them. Egyptian Antiquities Near Eastern Antiquities Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities Islamic Art Sculpture Decorative Arts Paintings and Prints and Drawings. This impressive collection is divided into eight curatorial departments. Pei’s now-iconic glass and metal pyramid was built in the museum’s expansive courtyard to serve as the main entrance.Īt any given time, some 38,000 works from the museum’s holdings are on view. Most recently, as part of a 1980s renovation, I. ![]() In 1793 the National Assembly decided that the entire building should be used as a museum to hold and display France’s masterpieces. Almost every monarch contributed to its expansion over the centuries, including Louis XIII and Louis XIV, both avid art collectors who made major additions. Originally constructed in 1190 as a fortress, the Louvre was turned by Francis I into the main residence of French kings in 1546 and remained so until Louis XIV moved to the Palace of Versailles in 1682. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The Louvre is said to have inspired the architecture of the U.S. Built, altered, expanded, and renovated over the centuries, it retains elements from its 12th-century beginnings, found underground around the lobby area, but Renaissance and French classical styles prevail. The Louvre, home to half a million works of art, is a work of art in itself.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |