The expansion of the Louvre under Napoleon III in the 1850s, known at the time and until the 1980s as the Nouveau Louvre or Louvre de Napoléon III, was an iconic project of the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

and a centerpiece of its ambitious transformation of Paris. Its design was initially produced by

Louis Visconti Louis Tullius Joachim Visconti (Rome February 11, 1791 – December 29, 1853) was an Italian-born French architect and designer. Life Son of the Italian archaeologist and art historian Ennio Quirino Visconti, Visconti designed many Paris ...

and, after Visconti's death in late 1853, modified and executed by Hector-Martin Lefuel. It represented the completion of a centuries-long project, sometimes referred to as the ''grand dessein'' ("grand design"), to connect the old

Louvre Palace The Louvre Palace (, ), often referred to simply as the Louvre, is an iconic French palace located on the Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, occupying a vast expanse of land between the Tuileries Gardens and the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxe ...

around the

Cour Carrée The Cour Carrée (, Square Court) is one of the main courtyards of the Louvre Palace in Paris. The wings surrounding it were built gradually, as the walls of the medieval Louvre were progressively demolished in favour of a French Renaissance archi ...

with the

Tuileries Palace The Tuileries Palace (, ) was a palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the Seine, directly in the west-front of the Louvre Palace. It was the Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from Henri IV to Napoleon III, until it was b ...

to the west. Following the Tuileries' arson at the end of the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

in 1871 and demolition a decade later,

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

's ''nouveau Louvre'' became the eastern end of Paris's ''

axe historique The ''Axe historique'' (; "historical axis") refers to a straightly aligned series of thoroughfare streets, squares, monuments and buildings that extend from the centre of Paris, France, to the west-northwest of the city. It is also known as t ...

'' centered on the

Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an Avenue (landscape), avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc ...

. The project was initially intended for mixed ceremonial, museum, housing, military and administrative use, including the offices of the and which after 1871 were attributed to the

Finance Ministry A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

. Since 1993, all its spaces have been used by the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

Museum.

Project development

Following the

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (), also known as the February Revolution (), was a period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation of the French Second Republic. It sparked t ...

, the provisional government adopted a decree on the continuation of the

rue de Rivoli The Rue de Rivoli (; English: "Rivoli Street") is a street in central Paris, France. It is a commercial street whose shops include leading fashionable brands. It bears the name of Napoleon's early victory against the Austrian army, at the Battle o ...

toward the east and the completion of the

's north wing, building on the steps taken to that effect under

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. Architect

and his disciple

Émile Trélat Émile Trélat (6 March 1821 – 30 October 1907) was a French politician. He was the son of Ulysse Trélat and great-grandfather of Gabriel Richet. He graduated at the École Centrale Paris in 1840. He first managed the ceramic factory o ...

produced a draft design for completing the entire palace and presented it to the Legislative Assembly in 1849. These plans were not implemented, however, until President Louis-Napoleon was in a position to prioritize them following his successful coup d'état on 2 December 1851, even before he would formally rebrand himself as Emperor Napoleon III. On Napoleon III's order, Minister

François-Xavier Joseph de Casabianca François-Xavier Joseph de Casabianca (27 June 1796 – 24 May 1881) was a French aristocrat, lawyer and politician who served as minister of agriculture and commerce, minister of finance, and president of the council of state in the government of ...

commissioned Visconti to design the new Louvre's plans on 30 January 1852, and the first stone was laid on 25 July 1852. After Visconti died of a heart attack on 29 December 1853, Hector-Martin Lefuel, by then the architect of the

Palace of Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau ( , ; ), located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. It served as a hunting lodge and summer residence for many of the List of French monarchs ...

, was appointed to replace him. Lefuel modified Visconti's project, keeping its broad architectural outlines but opting for a considerably more exuberant decoration program that came to define the ''nouveau Louvre'' in the eyes of many observers. Old houses and other buildings that still encroached on the central space of the Louvre-Tuileries complex, between the

and the

place du Carrousel The Place du Carrousel () is a public square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, located at the open end of the courtyard of the Louvre Palace, a space occupied, prior to 1883, by the Tuileries Palace. Sitting directly between the museum and the T ...

, were swept clear. The project was swiftly executed, under the close attention of Napoleon III who visited the works on multiple occasions. The new buildings were substantially completed at the time of their inauguration by the emperor on 14 August 1857. The next day, which was the National Day as the date of "", the public was invited to roam the new buildings. The young American architect

Richard Morris Hunt Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of architecture of the United States. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 ...

, who had studied under Lefuel at the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

, worked on the Louvre as a junior architect between April 1854 and September 1855, as also did Italian architect Marco Treves from May 1854 to September 1857. Following Hunt's graduation, Lefuel made him inspector of the Louvre work and allowed him to design the façade of the facing the

. File:Louvre et Tuileries Percier et Fontaine 1.jpg, One of many earlier unrealized proposals for the completion of the Louvre, by

Percier and Fontaine Percier and Fontaine was a noted partnership between French architects Charles Percier and Pierre François Léonard Fontaine. History Together, Percier and Fontaine were inventors and major proponents of the rich and grand, consciously archa ...

(1807 or 1808) File:Réunion des Tuileries au Louvre 1852–1857 Getty Museum vol1 02 Plan of the Louvre by Charles Vasserot 1830 – Getty Museum (crop).jpg, Plan of the unfinished Louvre by Charles Vasserot, showing the jumble of buildings on the location of the present-day Cour Napoléon (1830) File:Réunion des Tuileries au Louvre 1852–1857 Getty Museum vol1 03 Plan for the Nouveau Louvre by Visconti – Getty Museum (crop).jpg, Design of the Louvre expansion by Louis Visconti (1853) File:Napoléon III et Visconti.JPG, Visconti presents the plans for the Nouveau Louvre to Emperor Napoleon III and

Empress Eugénie The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

in 1853 at the Tuileries, painting by

Jean-Baptiste-Ange Tissier Jean-Baptiste-Ange Tissier (6 March 1814, in Paris – 4 April 1876, in Nice) was a French painter in the Romantic style. He was primarily a portraitist and was an official artist of the Second Empire. Biography His parents were originally f ...

(1865) File:Réunion des Tuileries au Louvre 1852–1857 Getty Museum vol1 01 Vue perspective (adjusted).jpg, Engraving dedicated "to His Majesty the Emperor" showcasing Visconti's design, by Rudolf Pfnor (1853) File:Lens - Inauguration du Louvre-Lens le 4 décembre 2012, la Galerie du Temps, n° 205.JPG, Celebratory tapestry cartoon showing the expanded Louvre between a cherub holding a ribbon inscribed with (lower left) and two angels holding the Emperor's profile (upper right), by (1857); now at the

Description

The Nouveau Louvre mostly consists of two sets of buildings or wings, on the northern and southern sides of the central space that is now called the Cour Napoléon. The new buildings were structured around a sequence of pavilions that were given names of French statesmen from the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

(North Wing) and the Napoleonic era (South Wing), still used to this day: from the northwest to the southwest, , , , (the project's new name for the pre-existing pavillon de l'Horloge), topping the eponymous staircase, , and also featuring a monumental staircase. (From 1989, the names of the three central pavilions have also been given to the entire respective wings of the Louvre museum complex. Thus, the Louvre's North Wing is now known as , its eastern square of buildings around the

is the , and the South Wing is the .) Lefuel created two octagonal gardens at the center of the Cour Napoléon (now replaced by the

Louvre Pyramid The Louvre Pyramid () is a large glass-and-metal entrance way and skylight designed by the Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei. The pyramid is in the main courtyard (Cour Napoléon) of the Louvre Palace in Paris, surrounded by three smaller pyr ...

). In multiple parts of the project, Napoleon III emphasized his role as continuator of the great French monarchs of the past, and as the one who completed their unfinished work. On both sides of the Pavillon Sully, black marble plaques bear gilded inscriptions that read, respectively: "1541. François Ier commence le Louvre. 1564. Catherine de Médicis commence les Tuileries," and "1852–1857. Napoléon III réunit les Tuileries au Louvre." Separately, Napoleon III created a

Musée des Souverains The ''Musée des Souverains'' (, ''Museum of Sovereigns'') was a history-themed museum of objects associated with List of French monarchs, former French monarchs. It was created by the future Napoleon III as a separate section within the Louvre P ...

in the Louvre's Colonnade Wing to similarly emphasize the continuity of his rule with the long legacy of French monarchy and thus bolster his legitimacy. On the eastern side of the Cour Napoléon, the project entailed no new building but rather the exterior refacing of the pre-existing palace whose interior rooms were left unchanged. For the central pavillon de l'Horloge's new western façade, Visconti took inspiration from both its eastern side designed by

Jacques Lemercier Jacques Lemercier (; c. 1585 in Pontoise – 13 January 1654 in Paris) was a French architect and engineer, one of the influential trio that included Louis Le Vau and François Mansart who formed the classicizing French Baroque manner, drawin ...

in the 1620s and from the central pavilion of the

, itself influenced by Lemercier's. The same inspiration shaped the pavilions named after Richelieu and Denon on the Cour Napoléon's northern and southern sides. Lefuel transformed Visconti's understated original design and added a profusion of elaborate sculptural detail. Despite being criticized by a number of observers, e.g. by Ludovic Vitet,

Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, an import ...

and Horace de Viel-Castel, Lefuel's treatment of the square-dome-roofed pavilions became a seminal model for

Second Empire architecture Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts originating in the Second French Empire. It was characterized by elements of many different historical styles, and al ...

in France and elsewhere. Inside the North Wing were prestige apartments for some of the regime's principal figures, including those of the Minister of State (long mistakenly attributed to the Duke of Morny and now known as the ), served by a monumental staircase later known as the ; administrative offices for the , the short-lived (1858–1860), the (separated from the in 1860), and (briefly) the created in early 1870; the Directorate of Telegraphs; barracks for the

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the emperor and/or empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial force ...

; and the (formerly under Napoleon and under the Restoration), personal property of the emperor but open to the public, on the upper floor between the Pavillon Richelieu and the

. The latter was acceded by the monumental (known since the late 19th century as ), with sculpted decoration by Lefuel's friend

Marie-Noémi Cadiot Marie-Noémi Cadiot (; 12 December 1828, Paris – 10 April 1888, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat), also known as Noémi (or Noémie) Constant and her literary pseudonyms Claude Vignon and H. Morel, was a French sculptor, journalist and writer of the 19t ...

. Initial plans to locate the

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

in the North Wing's eastern half were abandoned in the late 1850s. The South Wing was largely devoted to a series of new spaces for the

Museum that were dubbed the . These included, on the upper ground floor, a new entrance lobby flanked by two long stone-clad galleries, respectively named after

's ministers Pierre Daru () and

Nicolas François, Count Mollien Nicolas François, Count Mollien (born 28 February 1758 in Rouen, Seine-Inférieure – died 20 April 1850 in Paris, Seine), was a French financier. The son of a merchant, he early showed ability, and entered the ministry of finance, where he rose ...

(), with the monumental staircases bearing those same names at both ends; and on the first floor, high-ceilinged exhibition rooms for large paintings, the and , with the in the middle, whose lavish interior decoration was completed in 1866. On the same floor, between the Pavillon Denon and the

Grande Galerie The (), in the past also known as the Galerie du Bord de l'Eau (Waterside Gallery), is a wing of the Louvre Palace, perhaps more properly referred to as the Aile de la Grande Galerie (Grand Gallery Wing), since it houses the longest and largest ...

, Lefuel created a large Estates Hall () for state events and ceremonies. Below these prestige spaces was an extensive complex of stables for up to 149 horses and 34 carriages. At the center of it is the brick-and-stone , a monumental indoor space for horse-riding under the Salle des États, between two interior courts named after Caulaincourt (west) and Visconti (east). (The ''cour Caulaincourt'' was renamed after Lefuel following the architect's death in 1880.) The stables were nominally supervised by Great Equerry () , whose spacious apartment was on the western side of the Cour Lefuel and adorned with a porticoed balcony. The South wing also included barracks for the

Cent-gardes Squadron The Cent-gardes Squadron ( French: L'Escadron des Cent-gardes), also called ''Cent Gardes à Cheval'' (Hundred Guardsmen on Horseback), was an elite cavalry squadron of the Second French Empire primarily responsible for protecting the person of t ...

and lodgings for the palace's service personnel. File:Louvre aile Richelieu.jpg, North Wing File:Escalier du ministre (Louvre) 2.jpg, Escalier du Ministre File:Escalier Lefuel (Louvre) 1.jpg, Escalier Lefuel File:Escalier Colbert (Louvre).jpg, Escalier Colbert File:Appartements Napoléon III 4.jpg, Appartements Napoléon III File:Decorative arts in the Louvre - Room 548 - 03.jpg, Appartements Napoléon III File:Galerie Daru - Musée du Louvre.jpg, Galerie Daru File:Salle Daru du Louvre (30612872064).jpg, Salle Daru File:Roof, Louvre.jpg, Pavillon Denon ceiling File:Cour Lefuel (Louvre) 2.jpg, Cour Lefuel with ramps to the salle du Manège File:Palais du Louvre - Salle du Manège -0a.jpg, Interior of the salle du Manège File:Paris Louvre Nordseite 2.jpg, Pavillon de la Bibliothèque on the

Statuary

Initially, Visconti's plan was to erect equestrian statues of

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

and

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

at the center of the Cour Napoléon's two octagonal gardens, and another one of Francis I in the

. This was ostensibly intended to emphasize his claim to legitimacy as the inheritor of France's two (royal and imperial) strands of monarchical development. This program, however, was not realized. Nevertheless, sculptural profusion was one of the defining features of Lefuel's approach. Arguably the most salient component is the series of 86 statues of celebrated figures (''hommes illustres'') from French history and culture, selected by Napoleon III himself, each one labelled with their name. These include, following the order of the wings from northwest to southwest: * North Wing, western side:

Jean de La Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, ; ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French Fable, fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''La Fontaine's Fables, Fables'', which provided a model for subs ...

, by Jean-Louis Jaley;

Blaise Pascal Blaise Pascal (19June 162319August 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic Church, Catholic writer. Pascal was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen. His earliest ...

, by

François Lanno François Gaspard Aimé Lanno (1800 in Rennes – 1871 in Beaumont-du-Gâtinais) was a French sculptor. He was a pupil of François-Frédéric Lemot and Pierre Cartellier. In 1827, he won jointly with Jean-Louis Jaley the Prix de Rome for ...

;

François Eudes de Mézeray François Eudes de Mézeray (1610 – 10 July 1683) was a French historian. Mézeray was born at Ri, Orne, Ri near Argentan, France, Argentan, where his father was a surgeon. He had two brothers, one of whom, Jean-Eudes de Mézeray, Jean-Eudes ...

, by

Louis-Joseph Daumas Louis-Joseph Daumas (1801–1887) was a French sculptor and medallist. Born in Toulon, Daumas was admitted into the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in 1826, and entered the ''atelier'' of David d'Angers.American architect and archit ...

;

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

, by Bernard Seurre;

Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux (; 1 November 1636 – 13 March 1711), often known simply as Boileau (, ), was a French poet and critic. He did much to reform the prevailing form of French poetry, in the same way that Blaise Pascal did to reform the ...

, by

Charles Émile Seurre Charles Marie Émile Seurre or Seurre the Younger (22 February 1798 – 11 January 1858) was a French sculptor.Ward-Jackson, Philip (1996). "Seurre" in ''The Dictionary of Art'', edited by Jane Turner; vol. 28, p. 506. London: Macmillan. Rep ...

;

François Fénelon François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon, PSS (), more commonly known as François Fénelon (6 August 1651 – 7 January 1715), was a French Catholic archbishop, theologian, poet and writer. Today, he is remembered mostly as the author of ' ...

, by

Jean-Marie Bonnassieux Jean-Marie Bienaimé Bonnassieux (; 1810, Panissières, Loire – 1892) was a French sculptor. Biography Born the son of a cabinet maker in Lyon, Bonnassieux exhibited talent from a young age.He received his education at the École nationale su ...

; François de La Rochefoucauld, by ; and

Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; ; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great 17th-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronage ...

, by

Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire (9 January 1798, Valenciennes - 2 August 1880, Paris) was a French sculptor, working in a neoclassical academic style. Life and career He was a pupil of Pierre Cartellier, and won the Prix de Rome for sculpture ...

. * North Wing, southern side:

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (born ; 30 November – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours during the Merovingian period and is known as the "father of French history". He was a prelate in the Merovingian kingdom, encom ...

, by ;

François Rabelais François Rabelais ( , ; ; born between 1483 and 1494; died 1553) was a French writer who has been called the first great French prose author. A Renaissance humanism, humanist of the French Renaissance and Greek scholars in the Renaissance, Gr ...

, by

Élias Robert Louis Valentin Robert, called Élias Robert (born 6 June 1821 (Étampes) – died 29 April 1874 (Paris) was a French sculptor. Family He had an older brother, also named Louis Valentin Robert, born 15 September 1819 (Étampes) died 2 October ...

(now a copy);

François de Malherbe François de Malherbe (, 1555 – 16 October 1628) was a French poet, critic, and translator. Life He was born in Le Locheur (near Caen, Normandie), to a family of standing, although the family's pedigree did not satisfy the heralds in terms o ...

, by Jean-Jules Allasseur;

Peter Abelard Peter Abelard (12 February 1079 – 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, teacher, musician, composer, and poet. This source has a detailed description of his philosophical work. In philos ...

, by

Pierre-Jules Cavelier Pierre-Jules Cavelier (30 August 1814, in Paris – 28 January 1894, in Paris) was a French academic sculptor. Biography The son of a silversmith and furniture maker, Cavelier was born in Paris. He was a student of the sculptors David d'Angers ...

;

Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the countr ...

, by

Raymond Gayrard Paul Joseph Raymond Gayrard (3 September 180722 July 1855) was a French sculptor. He was born in Clermont-Ferrand, France. He studied at an early age under his sculptor/engraver father Raymond Gayrard, and was a student of François Rude as we ...

(copy);

Cardinal Mazarin Jules Mazarin (born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino or Mazarini; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), from 1641 known as Cardinal Mazarin, was an Italian Catholic prelate, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Lou ...

, by Pierre Hébert;

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (; 7 September 1707 – 16 April 1788) was a French Natural history, naturalist, mathematician, and cosmology, cosmologist. He held the position of ''intendant'' (director) at the ''Jardin du Roi'', now ca ...

, by

Eugène André Oudiné Eugène André Oudiné (1 January 1810, Paris – 12 April 1887, Paris) was a French sculptor and engraver of medals and coins, and devoted himself from the beginning to the medallist's branch of sculpture, although he also excelled in monumenta ...

;

Jean Froissart Jean Froissart ( Old and Middle French: ''Jehan''; sometimes known as John Froissart in English; – ) was a French-speaking medieval author and court historian from the Low Countries who wrote several works, including ''Chronicles'' and ''Meli ...

, by Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire;

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...

, by ;

Montesquieu Charles Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (18 January 168910 February 1755), generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French judge, man of letters, historian, and political philosopher. He is the principal so ...

, by

Charles-François Lebœuf Charles-François Lebœuf, called Nanteuil (9 August 1792 – 1 November 1865) was a French sculptor.Lemaistre 1998. Career Born in Paris, he studied with Pierre Cartellier at the École des Beaux-Arts, winning the Grand Prix de Rome in Sculpt ...

;

Mathieu Molé Mathieu Molé (1584 – 3 January 1656) was a French statesman. Biography The son of Edouard Molé (d. 1614), who was for a time ''procureur-général'', he was educated at the University of Orléans. Admitted conseiller in 1606, he was ''pré ...

, by Charles-François Lebœuf;

Anne Robert Jacques Turgot Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de l'Aulne ( ; ; 10 May 172718 March 1781), commonly known as Turgot, was a French economist and statesman. Sometimes considered a physiocrat, he is today best remembered as an early advocate for economic lib ...

, by ;

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, Mysticism, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercia ...

, by

François Jouffroy François Jouffroy (; 1 February 1806 – 25 June 1882) was a French sculptor. Biography Jouffroy was born in Dijon, France, the son of a baker, and attended the local drawing school before being admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in ...

;

Jean de La Bruyère Jean de La Bruyère (, , ; 16 August 1645 – 11 May 1696) was a French philosopher and moralist, who was noted for his satire. Early years Jean de La Bruyère was born in Paris, in today's Essonne ''département'', in 1645. His family was mi ...

, by ;

Suger Suger (; ; ; 1081 – 13 January 1151) was a French abbot and statesman. He was a key advisor to King Louis VI and his son Louis VII, acting as the latter's regent during the Second Crusade. His writings remain seminal texts for early twel ...

, by ;

Jacques Auguste de Thou Jacques Auguste de Thou (sometimes known by the Latin version of his name Thuanus) (8 October 1553, Paris – 7 May 1617, Paris) was a French historian, book collector and president of the Parlement of Paris. Life Jacques Auguste de Thou wa ...

, by Auguste-Louis Deligand;

Louis Bourdaloue Louis Bourdaloue (20 August 1632 – 13 May 1704) was a French Jesuit and preacher. Biography Louis Bourdaloue was born in Bourges where his father practiced law. He began his studies at the Jesuit Collège de Sainte-Marie in Bourges. In Novem ...

, by

Louis Desprez Louis Desprez (1799–1870) was a French sculptor. Born in Paris, he was a pupil of Francois Joseph Bosio. He went to Rome after winning the Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts stud ...

;

Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ; ; 22 December 1639 – 21 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille, as well as an important literary figure in the Western tr ...

, by ;

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

, by ;

Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet Jacques-Bénigne Lignel Bossuet (; 27 September 1627 – 12 April 1704) was a French Bishop (Catholic Church), bishop and theology, theologian. Renowned for his sermons, addresses and literary works, he is regarded as a brilliant orator and lit ...

, by

;

Marquis de Condorcet Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis of Condorcet (; ; 17 September 1743 – 29 March 1794), known as Nicolas de Condorcet, was a French Philosophy, philosopher, Political economy, political economist, Politics, politician, and m ...

, by ;

Denis Papin Denis Papin FRS (; 22 August 1647 – 26 August 1713) was a French physicist, mathematician and inventor, best known for his pioneering invention of the steam digester, the forerunner of the pressure cooker, the steam engine, the centrifug ...

, by ;

Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully Maximilien de Béthune Sully, 1st Prince of Sully, Marquis of Rosny and Nogent, Count of Muret and Villebon, Viscount of Meaux (13 December 156022 December 1641) was a French nobleman, soldier, statesman, and counselor of King Henry IV of France ...

, by (copy);

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban Sébastien is a common French given name. It is a French form of the Latin name ''Sebastianus'' meaning "from Sebaste". Sebaste was a common placename in classical Antiquity, derived from the Greek word ''σεβαστος'', or ''sebastos'', mea ...

, by

Gustave Crauck Gustave Adolphe Désiré Crauck (or Crauk; 16 July 1827 – 17 November 1905) was a French sculptor with a long distinguished career. He was born and died at Valenciennes, where a special museum for his works was erected in his honor. Educat ...

;

Antoine Lavoisier Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier ( ; ; 26 August 17438 May 1794), When reduced without charcoal, it gave off an air which supported respiration and combustion in an enhanced way. He concluded that this was just a pure form of common air and that i ...

, by

Jacques-Léonard Maillet Jacques-Léonard Maillet (; 12 July 1823 - 14 February 1894) was a French academic sculptor of modest reputation, whose themes were of neoclassical and biblical inspiration; his public commissions were in large part for the programs of decorativ ...

; and

Jérôme Lalande Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande (; 11 July 1732 – 4April 1807) was a French astronomer, freemason and writer. He is known for having estimated a precise value of the astronomical unit (the distance from the Earth to the Sun) using measu ...

, by Jean-Joseph Perraud . * Eastern side of the ''Cour Napoléon'':

François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois François Michel Le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois (; 18 January 1641 – 16 July 1691) was the French Secretary of State for War during a significant part of the reign of Louis XIV. He is commonly referred to as "Louvois". Together with his father, ...

, by

Aimé Millet Aimé Millet (September 28, 1819 – January 14, 1891) was a French sculptor who was a professor at the École des Arts décoratifs. Biography Born in Paris, Millet was the son of miniaturist Frédéric Millet (1796–1859) and uncle to Chica ...

;

Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, Grandee of Spain, GE (; 16 January 16752 March 1755), was a French soldier, diplomat, and memoirist. He was born in Paris at the Hôtel Selvois, 6 rue Taranne (demolished in 1876 to make way for the Boulevard ...

, by Pierre Hébert;

Jean de Joinville Jean de Joinville (, 1 May 1224 – 24 December 1317) was one of the great chroniclers of medieval France. He is most famous for writing the ''Life of Saint Louis'', a biography of Louis IX of France that chronicled the Seventh Crusade.' Biog ...

, by ;

Esprit Fléchier Esprit Fléchier (10 or 19 June 163216 February 1710) was a French preacher and author, Bishop of Nîmes from 1687 to 1710. Biography Fléchier was born at Pernes-les-Fontaines, in today's ''département'' of Vaucluse, in the then Comtat Vena ...

, by

;

Philippe de Commines Philippe de Commines (or de Commynes or "Philippe de Comines"; Latin: ''Philippus Cominaeus''; 1447 – 18 October 1511) was a writer and diplomat in the courts of Burgundy and France. He has been called "the first truly modern writer" (Charles ...

, by Eugène-Louis Lequesne;

Jacques Amyot Jacques Amyot (; 30 October 15136 February 1593), French Renaissance bishop, scholar, writer and translator, was born of poor parents, at Melun. Biography Amyot found his way to the University of Paris, where he supported himself by serving som ...

, by ;

Pierre Mignard Pierre Mignard or Pierre Mignard I (; 17 November 1612 – 30 May 1695), called "Mignard le Romain" to distinguish him from his brother Nicolas Mignard, was a French painter known for his religious and mythological scenes and portraits. He was a ...

, by ;

Jean Baptiste Massillon Jean-Baptiste Massillon, CO (24 June 1663 – 28 September 1742), was a French Catholic prelate and famous preacher who served as Bishop of Clermont from 1717 until his death in Beauregard-l'Évêque. Biography Early years Massillon was bor ...

, by

;

Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau, also given as Du Cerceau, DuCerceau, or Ducerceau (1510–1584) was a well-known French designer of architecture, ornament, furniture, metalwork and other decorative designs during the 16th century, and the founder ...

, by Georges Diebolt;

Jean Goujon Jean Goujon ()Thirion, Jacques (1996). "Goujon, Jean" in ''The Dictionary of Art'', edited by Jane Turner; vol. 13, pp. 225–227. London: Macmillan. Reprinted 1998 with minor corrections: . was a French Renaissance sculptor and architect. Bio ...

, by Bernard Seurre;

Claude Lorrain Claude Lorrain (; born Claude Gellée , called ''le Lorrain'' in French; traditionally just Claude in English; c. 1600 – 23 November 1682) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher of the Baroque era. He spent most of his life in I ...

, by

Auguste-Hyacinthe Debay Auguste-Hyacinthe Debay (; Nantes 2 April 1804 – 24 March 1865 Paris) was a French painter and sculptor. Life and career Auguste-Hyacinthe Debay was born in Nantes, France on 2 April 1804. His father, Joseph Jan Baptiste de Bay, 1829, was an ...

;

André Grétry André Ernest Modeste Grétry (; baptised 11 February 1741; died 24 September 1813) was a composer from the Prince-Bishopric of Liège (present-day Belgium), who worked from 1767 onwards in France and took French nationality. He is most famous ...

, by ;

Jean-François Regnard Jean-François Regnard (7 February 1655 – 4 September 1709), "the most distinguished, after Molière, of the comic poets of the seventeenth century", was a dramatist, born in Paris, who is equally famous now for the travel diary he kept of a v ...

, by Théodore-Charles Gruyère;

Jacques Cœur Jacques Cœur (, ; in Bourges – 25 November 1456 in Chios) was a French government official and state-sponsored merchant whose personal fortune became legendary and led to his eventual disgrace. He initiated regular trade routes between Fran ...

, by

;

Enguerrand de Marigny Enguerrand de Marigny, Baron Le Portier (c. 126030 April 1315) was a French chamberlain and minister of Philip IV. Early life He was born at Lyons-la-Forêt in Normandy, of an old Norman family of the lesser baronage called Le Portier, which ...

, by ;

André Chénier André Marie Chénier (; 30 October 176225 July 1794) was a French poet associated with the events of the French Revolution, during which he was sentenced to death. His sensual, emotive poetry marks him as one of the precursors of the Romantic ...

, by

Antoine-Augustin Préault Antoine-Augustin Préault (6 October 1809 – 11 January 1879) was a French sculptor of the Romantic movement. Born in the Marais district of Paris, he was better known during his lifetime as Auguste Préault. Biography A student of David d ...

; , by ; and

Antoine Coysevox Charles Antoine Coysevox ( or ; 29 September 164010 October 1720), was a French sculptor in the Baroque and Louis XIV style, best known for his sculpture decorating the gardens and Palace of Versailles and his portrait busts. Biography Coysev ...

, by . * South Wing, northern side:

Jean Cousin the Younger Jean Cousin the Younger ("le jeune", sometimes given as Jehan in the old style instead of Jean) (ca. 1522–1595) was born in Sens, France around 1522, the son of the famous painter and sculptor Jean Cousin the Elder ca. 1490–ca. 1560) who ...

, by ;

André Le Nôtre André Le Nôtre (; 12 March 1613 – 15 September 1700), originally rendered as André Le Nostre, was a French landscape architect and the principal gardener of King Louis XIV of France. He was the landscape architect who designed Gardens ...

, by Jean-Auguste Barre;

Clodion Claude Michel (20 December 1738 – 29 March 1814), known as Clodion, was a French sculptor in the Rococo style, especially noted for his works in marble, bronze, & terracotta. Life He was born in Nancy to Anne Adam and Thomas Michel, an un ...

, by ;

Germain Pilon Germain Pilon (c. 1525 – 3 February 1590)Connat & Colombier 1951; Thirion 1996. was a French Renaissance sculptor. He is, along with Jean Goujon, one of the most important sculptors of the French Renaissance. Best known as the creator of ma ...

, by

;

Ange-Jacques Gabriel Ange-Jacques Gabriel (; 23 October 1698 – 4 January 1782) was the principal architect of King Louis XV of France. His major works included the Place de la Concorde, the École Militaire, and the Petit Trianon and opera theater at the Palace of ...

, by ;

Jean Le Pautre Jean Le Pautre or Lepautre (baptised 28 June 1618; died 2 February 1682) was a French designer and engraver, the elder brother of the architect Antoine Le Pautre, the father of the engravers Pierre Le Pautre and Jacques Le Pautre, and the unc ...

, by ;

Michel de l'Hôpital Michel de l'Hôpital (or l'Hospital; 1506 – 13 March 1573) was a French lawyer, diplomat and chancellor during the latter Italian Wars and the early French Wars of Religion. The son of a doctor in the service of Constable Bourbon he spent his e ...

, by

Jean-Baptiste Claude Eugène Guillaume Jean-Baptiste Claude Eugène Guillaume (4 July 1822, Montbard – 1 March 1905, Rome) was a French sculptor. Biography He was born at Montbard on the Côte-d'Or. He studied under Cavelier, Millet, and Barrias, at the École des Beaux-Arts, wh ...

;

, by Antoine Laurent Dantan;

René Descartes René Descartes ( , ; ; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and Modern science, science. Mathematics was paramou ...

, by Gabriel Garraud;

Ambroise Paré Ambroise Paré (; – 20 December 1590) was a French barber surgeon who served in that role for kings Henry II, Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III. He is considered one of the fathers of surgery and modern forensic pathology and a pione ...

, by ;

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...

, by Jean-Auguste Barre;

Michel de Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne ( ; ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the the essay ...

, by ;

Jean-Antoine Houdon Jean-Antoine, chevalier Houdon (; 20 March 1741 – 15 July 1828) was a French neoclassical sculptor. Houdon is famous for his portrait busts and statues of philosophers, inventors and political figures of the Enlightenment. Houdon's subjects ...

, by

François Rude François Rude (; 4 January 1784 – 3 November 1855) was a French sculptor, best known for the ''Departure of the Volunteers'', also known as ''La Marseillaise'' on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. (1835–36). His work often expressed patriotic t ...

(copy);

Étienne Dupérac Étienne Dupérac (or du Pérac) (–March 1604) was a French architect, painter, engraver, and garden designer.Jacques Ange Cordier;

Jean de Brosse Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * ...

, by

Auguste Ottin Auguste-Louis-Marie Jenks Ottin (1811–1890) was a French academic sculptor and recipient of the decoration of the Legion of Honor. Early life Ottin was born and died in Paris, where he was a pupil of David d'Angers and of the École des ...

;

César-François Cassini de Thury César-François Cassini de Thury (17 June 1714 – 4 September 1784), also called Cassini III or Cassini de Thury, was a French astronomer and cartographer. Biography Cassini de Thury was born in Thury-sous-Clermont, in the Oise depart ...

, by ;

Henri François d'Aguesseau Henri François d'Aguesseau, seigneur de Fresnes (; 27 November 16685 February 1751) was Chancellor of France three times between 1717 and 1750 and pronounced by Voltaire to be "the most learned magistrate France ever possessed". Early life He w ...

, by Louis-Denis Caillouette;

Jules Hardouin-Mansart Jules Hardouin-Mansart (; 16 April 1646 – 11 May 1708) was a French Baroque architect and builder whose major work included the Place des Victoires (1684–1690); Place Vendôme (1690); the domed chapel of Les Invalides (1690), and the Gra ...

, by Jean-Joseph Perraud;

Nicolas Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was a French painter who was a leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and mythologic ...

, by François Rude (copy);

Gérard Audran Gérard Audran (or Girard Audran) (2 August 164026 July 1703), was a French engraver of the Audran family, the third son of Claude Audran the Elder, Claude Audran. Life He was born in Lyon and was taught the first principles of design and engrav ...

, by

; Jacques Sarazin, by Honoré-Jean-Aristide Husson;

Nicolas Coustou Nicolas Coustou (; 9 January 1658 – 1 May 1733) was a French sculpture, sculptor and academic. Biography Born in Lyon, Coustou was the son of a woodcarver, François Coustou, who gave him his first instruction in art, and Claudine Coysev ...

, by ;

Eustache Le Sueur Eustache Le Sueur or Lesueur (; 19 November 161730 April 1655) was a French artist and one of the founders of the French Academy of Painting. He is known primarily for his paintings of religious subjects. He was a leading exponent of the neocl ...

, by Honoré-Jean-Aristide Husson;

Claude Perrault Claude Perrault (; 25 September 1613 – 9 October 1688) was a French physician and amateur architect, best known for his participation in the design of the east façade of the Louvre in Paris.Philippe de Champaigne Philippe de Champaigne (; 26 May 1602 – 12 August 1674) was a Duchy of Brabant, Brabant-born French people, French Baroque era painter, a major exponent of the French art, French school. He was a founding member of the Académie royale de pein ...

, by ; and Pierre Puget, by Antoine Étex. * South Wing, western side:

Pierre Lescot Pierre Lescot ( – 10 September 1578) was a French architect of the French Renaissance period. He is known for designing the Fontaine des Innocents and the Lescot wing of the Louvre in Paris. Lescot contributed to the incorporation of classical ...

, by

Henri de Triqueti Baron Henri Joseph François de Triqueti (24 October 1803 – 11 May 1874), also spelt Henry de Triqueti, was a French sculptor and artist. Early life and education Henri Joseph François de Triqueti was born in the Château du Perthuis in Confl ...

;

Jean Bullant Jean Bullant (; 1515 – 13 October 1578) was a French architect and sculptor who built the tombs of Anne de Montmorency, Grand Connétable of France, Henri II, and Catherine de' Medici. He also worked on the Tuileries, the Louvre, an ...

, by ;

Charles Le Brun Charles Le Brun (; baptised 24 February 1619 – 12 February 1690) was a French Painting, painter, Physiognomy, physiognomist, Aesthetics, art theorist, and a director of several art schools of his time. He served as a court painter to Louis XIV, ...

, by

Jean-Claude Petit Jean-Claude Petit (born 14 November 1943) is a French composer and arranger, born in Vaires-sur-Marne. After accompanying jazzmen in his childhood, Petit went to the Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied harmony and counterpoint. He did the s ...

; Pierre Chambiges, by ; Libéral Bruand, by

Armand Toussaint The French sculptor François Christophe Armand Toussaint was born in Paris on April 7, 1806, and died there on May 24, 1862. The son of a locksmith, Armand Toussaint entered the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, École des Beaux-Art ...

;

Philibert de l'Orme Philibert de l'Orme () (3-9 June 1514 – 8 January 1570) was a French architect and writer, and one of the great masters of French Renaissance architecture. His surname is also written De l'Orme, de L'Orme, or Delorme. Biography Early care ...

, by Jean-Pierre Dantan;

Bernard Palissy Bernard Palissy (; c. 1510c. 1589) was a Huguenot, French Huguenot pottery, potter, Hydraulics, hydraulics engineer and craftsman, famous for having struggled for sixteen years to imitate Chinese porcelain. He is best known for his so-called "rus ...

, by Victor Huguenin; and

Hyacinthe Rigaud Jacint Rigau-Ros i Serra (; 18 July 1659 – 29 December 1743), known in French as Hyacinthe Rigaud (), was a Catalan-French baroque painter most famous for his portraits of Louis XIV and other members of the French nobility. Biography Rigau ...

, by . File:La Fontaine cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Pascal cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Mezeray cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Moliere cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Boileau cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Fenelon cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Gregory of Tours cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Rabelais cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Malherbe cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Abelard cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Colbert cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Mazarin cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Buffon cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Froissart cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Rousseau cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Mathieu Mole cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Turgot cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Saint Bernard cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:La Bruyère cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Suger cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Jacques-Auguste de Thou cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Bourdaloue cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Racine cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Condorcet cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Denis Papin cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Sully cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Vauban cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Lavoisier cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Lalande cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Louvois cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Saint-Simon cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Joinville cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Flechier cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Commynes cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Amyot cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Mignard cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg File:Ducerceau cour Napoleon Louvre.jpg Among the abundant

architectural sculpture Architectural sculpture is the use of sculptural techniques by an architect and/or sculptor in the design of a building, bridge, mausoleum or other such project. The sculpture is usually integrated with the structure, but freestanding works that ...

of the Nouveau Louvre, the pediments of the three main pavilions stand out: * Pavillon Richelieu: "France distributing crowns to its worthiest children", by

Francisque Joseph Duret Francisque Joseph Duret (; 19 October 1804 – 26 May 1865) was a French sculptor, son and pupil of François-Joseph Duret (1732–1816). Life and career Before becoming a sculptor, Francisque Duret had shown interest in pursuing a career in thea ...

(in which the figure of France has been viewed as a likeness of

); * Pavillon Sully: "Napoleon I above History and Arts", by

Antoine-Louis Barye Antoine-Louis Barye (; 24 September 179525 June 1875) was a Romantic French sculptor most famous for his work as an ''animalier'', a sculptor of animals. His son and student was the sculptor Alfred Barye. Biography Born in Paris, France, Barye ...

and Pierre-Charles Simart; * Pavillon Denon: "Napoleon III surrounded by Agriculture, Industry, Commerce and the Fine Arts", by Simart. The latter group includes the depiction of a

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

, then representing cutting-edge technological progress, and the only surviving public portrayal of Napoleon III in Paris. File:Pediments of the Pavillon Richelieu (PA00085992 431).jpg, Pediment, Pavillon Richelieu File:Napoleon 1er dominant l’Histoire et les Arts.jpg, Pediment, Pavillon Sully File:MuséeLouvreDetFrt-042.jpg, Pediment, Pavillon Denon The South Wing's was another opportunity for Lefuel to foster a rich structural program, which was executed in 1861 after the Nouveau Louvre's inauguration. Outside in the Cour Lefuel, four bronze groups of wild animals by

Pierre Louis Rouillard Pierre Louis Rouillard (; Paris, 16 January 1820 – Paris, 2 June 1881) was a French sculptor known for his sculptures of animals. He was one of a "school of French '' animalières''", which also included Pierre-Jules Mêne, Antoine-Louis Barye, ...

stand at the start of the two horse ramps : , , , and . At the top of the ramps above the entrance to the manège, a monumental group, also by Rouillard, features three surging horses that echo Robert Le Lorrain's at the . Inside, the idiosyncratic hunting-themed capitals feature heads of horses and other animals, by

Emmanuel Frémiet Emmanuel Frémiet (6 December 182410 September 1910) was a French sculptor. He is famous for his 1874 sculpture of Joan of Arc in Paris (and its "sister" statues in Philadelphia and Portland, Oregon) and the monument to Ferdinand de Lesseps in S ...

Henri Alfred Jacquemart Henri Alfred Marie Jacquemart (; 24 February 1824 in Paris – 4 January 1896, in Paris), often known as Alfred Jacquemart, was a noted French sculptor and animalier. He usually signed his works: ''A. Jacquemart''. Jacquemart studied under painte ...

, , and Houguenade. File:Entrance to Riding Hall, Louvre 2014.jpg, Rouillard's ''wild animals'' in the Cour Lefuel File:Palais du Louvre - Cour Lefuel -04.JPG, Rouillard's "dog fighting a wolf" File:Palais du Louvre - Cour Lefuel -09.JPG, Rouillard's "wolf and puppy" File:Palais du Louvre - Cour Lefuel -01.jpg, Rouillard's three horses above the Manège's entrance File:Palais du Louvre - Salle du Manège -2.JPG, One of the capitals of the Salle du Manège

Later history

Louvre 1929 - Histoire de Marie de Medicis

In 1861, the

Pavillon de Flore The Pavillon de Flore, part of the Louvre Palace in Paris, France, stands at the southwest end of the Louvre, near the Pont Royal. It was originally constructed in 1607–1610, during the reign of Henry IV, as the corner pavilion between t ...

was in serious disrepair. Following the successful completion of the Louvre expansion, Napoleon III endorsed Lefuel's plan to entirely demolish and rebuild both the Pavillon and the wing that connects it to the Nouveau Louvre's South Wing. The project involved the creation of a new ceremonial , closer to the Tuileries than Lefuel's previous Salle des États, in a protruding wing now referred to as the , with covered space for 16 carriages and 32 horse teams known as the . As this structure took the full width of the building, the

was correspondingly cut short by about a third. The Southern façade was completely changed, as Lefuel disliked Jacques II Androuet du Cerceau's

colossal order In classical architecture, a giant order, also known as colossal order, is an order whose columns or pilasters span two (or more) storeys. At the same time, smaller orders may feature in arcades or window and door framings within the storeys that ...

and replacing it with a replica of the earlier design attributed to

Louis Métezeau Louis Métezeau (1559 – 18 August 1615) was a French architect.Babelon 1996, p. 345. Life and career Métezeau was born in Dreux, Eure-et-Loir, and died in Paris. He was the son of Thibault Métezeau, the brother of Clément II Métezeau and ...

further east. Between the Pavillon de Flore and the Pavillon des Sessions, Lefuel created a monumental passageway (then called the , now Porte des Lions) between 1864 and 1869, adorned with two pairs of monumental lions by

to the south and lionesses by

Auguste Cain Auguste Nicolas Caïn (10 November 1821 – 6 August 1894) was a French sculptor in the Animaliers school, known for his portrayals of wild and domesticated animals. Life Caïn was born in Paris, and studied under Rude, Guionnet, and Pierre ...

to the north, with two additional lionesses by Cain in front of the nearby . At the eastern end of the new project, Lefuel created three monumental archways for the thoroughfare connecting the

Pont du Carrousel The Pont du Carrousel () is a bridge in Paris, which spans the River Seine between the Quai des Tuileries and the Quai Voltaire. History Begun in 1831 in the prolongation of the ''rue des Saints-Pères'' on the Rive Gauche, Left Bank, the origi ...

to the south with the to the north, known as the or . The project was completed in 1869 as an equestrian statue of Napoleon III by Barye was placed above the arches of the Grands Guichets. That setting, however, did not last long, as the Second Empire came to its abrupt end. On 6 September 1870, days after the Emperor's capture at the

Battle of Sedan The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Napoleon III, Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and ...

, Barye's equestrian statue was topped and destroyed. At the end of the

on 23 May 1871, the

was burned down, as was the Bibliothèque du Louvre. Lefuel, together with

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (; 27 January 181417 September 1879) was a French architect and author, famous for his restoration of the most prominent medieval landmarks in France. His major restoration projects included Notre-Dame de Paris, ...

, defended the option of repairing the ruins, but shortly after both died the French parliament decided to tear them down in 1882, largely for political motives associated with the termination of the monarchy. After the remains of the Tuileries were razed in 1883, the layout that had been created by Napoleon III and Lefuel was fundamentally altered. In the context of the

Grand Louvre The Grand Louvre refers to the decade-long project initiated by French President François Mitterrand in 1981 of expanding and remodeling the Louvre – both the building and the museum – by moving the Ministry of the Economy and Finance (Fran ...

project initiated by President

François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...

in the 1980s, the Ministry of the Economy and Finance was compelled to leave the Louvre's North Wing, in which it had been headquartered since 1871, to specially-built headquarters in the Bercy area. While most of the interior spaces were gutted and rebuilt, the more artistically and historically significant ones were preserved and renovated. These included three monumental staircases, the , and ; the former ministerial office, rebranded as ''Café Richelieu''; and the palatial suite of rooms created by Lefuel and his team for the Minister of State, rebranded as ''appartements Napoléon III''. The ''Café Marly'', located outside of the

Museum in the same wing and opened in 1994, has been designed by in a reinterpretation of the

Second Empire style Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly Eclecticism in architecture, eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts originating in the Second French Empire. It was characterized by elements of many differe ...

. Meanwhile, the Cour Napoléon was radically transformed with the erection of the

Influence

The ''nouveau Louvre'' was highly influential and became the exemplar of the

architecture, subsequently adopted in numerous buildings in France as well as elsewhere in Europe and in the world. Prominent examples include the

Crédit Lyonnais headquarters The Crédit Lyonnais headquarters (the headquarters of the France, French bank Crédit Lyonnais, now LCL S.A., LCL) is a Haussmann's renovation of Paris, Haussmannian style building located in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. It is on the block ...

in Paris, the

Saigon Governor's Palace The Saigon Governor's Palace (; ), also known as the Norodom Palace () and then renamed Independence Palace, was a government building in Saigon, French Cochinchina, built between 1868 and 1873. It contained the residence of the governor of Co ...

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

, and, in the United States, the Old City Hall in Boston (built 1862–1865), the State, War, and Navy Building in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

(built 1871–1888), and the

Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Built in the ornate Second Empire style, City Hall houses the chambers of the Philadelphia City Council and the office ...

(built 1871–1901).

Notes

{{Louvre Louvre Palace Second Empire architecture

Project development

Description

Statuary

Later history

Influence

See also

Notes