Weekend Part II: The Louvre

The Louvre is one of the best museums in the world, but in some ways there’s just too much of it—too big, too many people, and too much to see. It’s the perfect recipe for premature museum fatigue, the point when you stop really looking the works of art you’re going by. I was looking forward to going to the Louvre, but it left me exhausted. Still, I saw quite a bit and I was definitely glad that I did have a chance to visit.

I started with the paintings from the Italian Renaissance, which is one of the most popular sections of the museum. There’s an entire hall allocated to the collection and it is filled with people. You cannot even get close to the Da Vincis. The Mona Lisa is in a room of its own and a crowd inevitably gathers around it to get a closer look. I happened to notice a painting of François I by Titian in the same room, which absolutely nobody was looking at. The man (François) was absolutely rotund.

My biggest problem with museums in today is that everyone brings their camera. I could not get through the Italian sculptures because there were people along the entire length of the gallery photographing the artwork. I am guilty of whipping out my camera at museums, but I have to say that it often diminishes my experience. Instead of looking at the art, I’m looking for a good picture. I made a successful effort this time to keep my camera in my bag.

That being said, I did get a lot out of my visit. I decided to go to the objets d’art collection next, which is made up of pottery, tapestries, swords, and other historical objects that I would probably consider crafts. There’s even a crystal cup that belonged to my beloved Eleanor of Aquitaine. This area is not as heavily visited and you can actually get up close and personal with a suit of armor the belonged to Henry II of France. The armor they have in the museum is incredibly detailed—in some cases there are entire scenes on the breastplate—but seems slightly impractical for actual warfare. I was also very impressed by the crockery from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. There are giant plates with intricate floral designs that some person had to draw by hand. It must have taken forever.

I also made a visit to the Egypt section, which was not that crowded considering how popular Egyptain artifacts can be. I was initially startled at the lack of mummies until I walked up a staircase and found a room lined with sarcophagi. Further on, I discovered the mummified pets. The mummified cats look like stuffed socks, but the mummified alligator looked like a real alligator.

Given the immense size of the Louvre, I have a feeling I saw less than half of the museum’s collection. I hope that I will go back during my stay, but perhaps not during the summer.

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I'm not sure what they were after here. I just find it funny.