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 18-year Empire, Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the French Second Republic, Second and the French Third Republic ...

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 Par ...

and, after Visconti's death in late 1853, modified and executed by

Hector Lefuel Hector-Martin Lefuel (14 November 1810 – 31 December 1880) was a French architect, best known for his work on the Palais du Louvre, including Napoleon III's Louvre expansion and the reconstruction of the Pavillon de Flore. Biography He was ...

. 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 (french: link=no, Palais du Louvre, ), often referred to simply as the Louvre, is an iconic French palace located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, occupying a vast expanse of land between the Tuileries Ga ...

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 Renaissance palace. Cons ...

with the

Tuileries Palace The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from ...

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

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

in 1871 and demolition a decade later,

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

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

axe historique The ''Axe historique'' (; "historical axis") is a line of monuments, buildings, and thoroughfares that extends from the centre of Paris, France, to the west. It is also known as the ''Voie Triomphale'' (; "triumphal way"). The Axe Historique ...

'' centered on the

Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an 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 de Triomphe is lo ...

. 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 finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

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

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

Project development

Following the

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (french: Révolution française de 1848), also known as the February Revolution (), was a brief period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation ...

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

rue de Rivoli 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 of R ...

toward the east and the completion of the

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

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. 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 Louis-Napoleon's order, Minister François-Xavier Joseph de Casabianca 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,

, by then the architect of the

Palace of Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau (; ) or Château de Fontainebleau, located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The medieval castle and subsequent palace served as a residence ...

, 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 American architecture. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 entrance fa� ...

, who had studied under Lefuel at the École des Beaux-Arts, 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 archaeol ...

(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 An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...

in 1853 at the Tuileries, painting by Jean-Baptiste-Ange Tissier (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

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

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

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings: * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

s that were given names of French statesmen from

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 Napoleonic times (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 The Pavillon de l’Horloge ("Clock Pavilion"), also known as the Pavillon Sully, is a prominent architectural structure located in the center of the western wing of the Cour Carrée of the Palais du Louvre in Paris. Since the late 19th century ...

), 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 (Pyramide du Louvre) is a large glass and metal structure 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 smalle ...

). 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 former French monarchs. It was created by the future Napoleon III as a separate section within the Louvre Palace, with the aim to glor ...

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

'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, drawing ...

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 Ludovic Vitet (18 October 18025 June 1873) was a French dramatist and politician. Early life and career Ludovic Vitet was born in Paris. He came from a wealthy bourgeois family, as the grandson of former member of the National Convention Louis V ...

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

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, which uses elements of many different historical styles, and also made innovative use of modern materials, such as i ...

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 Charles Auguste Louis Joseph de Morny, 1er Duc de Morny () (15–16 September 1811, Switzerland10 March 1865, Paris) was a French statesman. Biography Morny was born in Switzerland, and was the extra-marital son of Hortense de Beauharnais (the ...

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 or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, in ...

; 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

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 Mollien (), 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 Grande Galerie, 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 ...

, 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 ...

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 83 - 03.JPG, Appartements Napoléon III File:Galerie Daru - Musée du Louvre.jpg, Galerie Daru File:Paris - Musée 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 , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

and

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

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

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

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:

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

, by

Jean-Louis Jaley Jean-Louis Nicolas Jaley (27 January 1802, Paris – 30 May 1866, Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a French sculptor. He was the pupil of his father Louis Jaley and Pierre Cartellier. In 1827, he won - together with François Lanno - the Prix de Rome fo ...

;

Pascal Pascal, Pascal's or PASCAL may refer to: People and fictional characters * Pascal (given name), including a list of people with the name * Pascal (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** Blaise Pascal, Fren ...

, by François Lanno; Mézeray, 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 greatest writers in the French language and world ...

, by

Bernard Seurre Bernard-Gabriel Seurre or Seurre the Elder (11 July 1795 – 3 October 1867) was a French sculptor. His younger brother Charles Émile Seurre (1798–1858) was also a sculptor. Life Born in Paris, Bernard Seurre was a student of the sculpto ...

; Boileau, by Charles Émile Seurre; Fénelon, by

Jean-Marie Bonnassieux Jean-Marie Bienaimé Bonnassieux (; 1810, Panissières, Loire – 1892) was a French sculptor. Biography The son of a cabinet maker from Lyon, Bonnassieux showed talent as a boy and was educated at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Ar ...

; La Rochefoucauld, by ; and

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

, by Henri Lemaire. * North Wing, southern side:

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (30 November 538 – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of the area that had been previously referred to as Gaul by the Romans. He was born Georgius Florenti ...

, by ;

François Rabelais François Rabelais ( , , ; born between 1483 and 1494; died 1553) was a French Renaissance writer, physician, Renaissance humanist, monk and Greek scholar. He is primarily known as a writer of satire, of the grotesque, and of bawdy jokes and ...

, by

Élias Robert There are two Louis-Valentin Robert : 1) Louis Valentin Robert born 15 September 1819 (Étampes) died 2 October 1819 (Étampes) His younger brother with the same name : 2) Louis Valentin Robert called Élias Robert born 6 June 1821 (Étampes ...

(now a copy);

Malherbe Malherbe may refer to: People * Malherbe (surname) ** François de Malherbe (1555-1628), French poet, reformer of French language Places France * La Haye-Malherbe, municipality of Eure (département), Eure * Malherbe-sur-Ajon, new municipal ...

, by Jean-Jules Allasseur;

Abelard Peter Abelard (; french: link=no, Pierre Abélard; la, Petrus Abaelardus or ''Abailardus''; 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, poet, composer and musician. This source has a detailed desc ...

, by Jules Cavelier; Colbert, by

Raymond Gayrard Paul Joseph Raymond Gayrard (3 September 1807 – 1855) was a French sculptor 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 well as David ...

(copy); Mazarin, by Pierre Hébert; Buffon, 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 monumental ...

;

Froissart Jean Froissart ( Old and Middle French: '' Jehan'', – ) (also John Froissart) was a French-speaking medieval author and court historian from the Low Countries who wrote several works, including ''Chronicles'' and ''Meliador'', a long Arthuria ...

, by Henri Lemaire;

Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

, 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 principa ...

, by Charles-François Lebœuf;

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;

Turgot Turgot may refer to: * Turgot of Durham ( – 1115), Prior of Durham and Bishop of St Andrews * Michel-Étienne Turgot (1690–1751), mayor of Paris * Anne Robert Jacques Turgot (1727–1781), French economist and statesman * Louis Félix Étienn ...

, by ; Saint Bernard, 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 18 ...

; La Bruyère, by ;

Suger Suger (; la, Sugerius; 1081 – 13 January 1151) was a French abbot, statesman, and historian. He once lived at the court of Pope Calixtus II in Maguelonne, France. He later became abbot of St-Denis, and became a close confidant to King Lo ...

, by ;

Jacques Auguste de Thou Jacques Auguste de Thou (Thuanus) (8 October 1553, Paris – 7 May 1617, Paris) was a French historian, book collector and president of the Parliament of Paris. Life Jacques Auguste de Thou was the grandson of , president of the Parliament ...

, by Auguste-Louis Deligand;

Bourdaloue Louis Bourdaloue (20 August 1632 – 13 May 1704) was a French Jesuit and preacher. Biography He was born in Bourges. At the age of sixteen he entered the Society of Jesus, and was appointed successively professor of rhetoric, philosophy ...

, 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 ...

;

Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 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 traditio ...

, by ;

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...

, by ;

Bossuet Bossuet is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet (1627–1704), French bishop and theologian, uncle of Louis * Louis Bossuet Louis Bossuet (22 February 1663 – 15 January 1742) was a French parle ...

, by

;

Condorcet Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis of Condorcet (; 17 September 1743 – 29 March 1794), known as Nicolas de Condorcet, was a French philosopher and mathematician. His ideas, including support for a liberal economy, free and equal pu ...

, 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 and of the steam engine. Early lif ...

, by ; Sully, by (copy); Vauban, 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 ...

; Lavoisier, by Jacques-Léonard Maillet; and

Jérôme Lalande Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande (; 11 July 1732 – 4 April 1807) was a French astronomer, freemason and writer. Biography Lalande was born at Bourg-en-Bresse (now in the département of Ain) to Pierre Lefrançois and Marie‐Anne‐Gab ...

, by Jean-Joseph Perraud. * Eastern side of the ''Cour Napoléon'': Louvois, by Aimé Millet; Saint-Simon, by Pierre Hébert;

Joinville Joinville () is the largest city in Santa Catarina, in the Southern Region of Brazil. It is the third largest municipality in the southern region of Brazil, after the much larger state capitals of Curitiba and Porto Alegre. Joinville is also a ...

, by ;

Esprit Fléchier Esprit Fléchier (10 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 Venaissin, ...

, by François Lanno; Commynes, by

Eugène-Louis Lequesne Eugène-Louis Lequesne (or Le Quesne) (15 February 1815 – 3 June 1887) was a French sculptor. Lequesne was born and died in Paris. In 1841, he entered the École nationale des beaux-arts, in James Pradier's workshop. In 1843, he won th ...

;

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 ;

Mignard Mignard is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: *François Mignard (born 1949), French astronomer **12898 Mignard, main belt asteroid discovered by François Mignard * Nicolas Mignard (1606–1668), French painter *Paul Mignar ...

, by ; Massillon, 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 Georges Diebolt, sometimes spelled Diébolt, (6 May 1816, Dijon – 7 November 1861, Paris) was a French sculptor best known for his publicly commissioned monumental works, including '' The Zouave'' and on the pont de l'Alma in Paris and the '' ...

;

Jean Goujon Jean Goujon (c. 1510 – c. 1565)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 sculpt ...

, by

;

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 It ...

, by Auguste-Hyacinthe Debay; Grétry, 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 vo ...

, by

Théodore-Charles Gruyère Théodore-Charles Gruyère (born 17 September 1813 in Paris, died in 1885) was a French sculptor. In 1836 as the pupil of Auguste Dumont. He hit notoriety in 1839 winning the Prix de Rome. His other works are some busts, some statues of saints f ...

;

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 Franc ...

, by

;

Enguerrand de Marigny Enguerrand de Marigny, Baron Le Portier (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 smaller baronage called Le Portier, which to ...

, by ; Chénier, by

Auguste Préault Auguste may refer to: People Surname * Arsène Auguste (born 1951), Haitian footballer * Donna Auguste (born 1958), African-American businesswoman * Georges Auguste (born 1933), Haitian painter * Henri Auguste (1759–1816), Parisian gold an ...

; , 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 Coysevo ...

, 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 ; Le Nôtre, by

Jean-Auguste Barre Jean Auguste Barre (25 September 1811 – 5 February 1896) was a French sculptor and medalist. Born in Paris, he was trained by his father Jean-Jacques Barre (1793–1855), a medalist. Barre studied at the École nationale supérieure des B ...

;

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, 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 Ve ...

, by ; Le Pautre, by ;

Michel de l'Hôpital Michel de l'Hôpital (or l'Hospital) (1507 – 13 March 1573) was a French statesman. Biography De l'Hôpital was born near Aigueperse in Auvergne (now Puy-de-Dôme). His father, who was physician to the Constable de Bourbon, sent him to stud ...

, by

Eugène Guillaume Eugene is a common male given name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (''eugenēs''), "noble", literally "well-born", from εὖ (''eu''), "well" and γένος (''genos''), "race, stock, kin".Lemercier, by

Antoine Laurent Dantan Antoine Laurent Dantan (8 December 1798 in Saint-Cloud – 25 May 1878 in Saint-Cloud) was a French academic sculptor, known as 'Dantan the Elder' to distinguish him from his slightly younger brother, Jean-Pierre Dantan (1800–1869), wh ...

; Descartes, by Gabriel Garraud;

Ambroise Paré Ambroise Paré (c. 1510 – 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 p ...

, by ; Richelieu, by

; Montaigne, by ;

Houdon Jean-Antoine 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 included De ...

, 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 the ...

(copy); Étienne Dupérac, by Jacques Ange Cordier;

Jean de Brosse Jean de Brosse (1375–1433), Lord of Boussac, Sainte-Sévère and Huriel, was a councillor and chamberlain to Charles VII of France; he was made a Marshal of France in 1426. Early life Jean de Brosse was born in 1375 in his father’s castle a ...

, 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 B ...

;

Cassini de Thury Cassini may refer to: People * Cassini (surname) * Oleg Cassini (1913-2006), American fashion designer :Cassini family: * Giovanni Domenico Cassini (1625–1712), Italian mathematician, astronomer, engineer, and astrologer * Jacques Cassini (167 ...

, by ; d'Aguesseau, by

Louis-Denis Caillouette Louis-Denis Caillouette (9 May 1790 – 8 February 1868) was a French sculptor. His pupils included the medallist Adrien Baudet Life Born in Paris, the son of André Louis Caillouette, he studied at the École des beaux-arts de Paris in Phil ...

; Hardouin-Mansart, by Jean-Joseph Perraud;

Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was the 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 mythological subjects painted for ...

, by

(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. Life He was born in Lyon and was taught the first principles of design and engraving by his father. Foll ...

, by Jacques-Léonard Maillet;

Jacques Sarazin Jacques Sarazin or Sarrazin (baptised 8 June 1592 in Noyon – died 3 December 1660 in Paris) was a French sculptor in the classical tradition of Baroque art. He was instrumental in the development of the Style Louis XIV through his own work ...

, by Honoré-Jean-Aristide Husson;

Nicolas Coustou Nicolas Coustou (9 January 1658 – 1 May 1733) was a French 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 Coysevox. When he w ...

, by ; Le Sueur, by Honoré-Jean-Aristide Husson; Claude Perrault, by Auguste-Hyacinthe Debay;

Philippe de Champaigne Philippe de Champaigne (; 26 May 1602 – 12 August 1674) was a Brabançon-born French Baroque era painter, a major exponent of the French school. He was a founding member of the Académie de peinture et de sculpture in Paris, the premier art ...

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

; Bullant, by ; Le Brun, 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 st ...

;

Pierre Chambiges Pierre Chambiges, (died 19 June 1544), was a French master mason (''maître des œuvres de maçonnerie et pavement de la Ville de Paris'') and architect to François I of France and his son Henri II. As surveyor and architect, Chambiges was inv ...

, 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 des Beaux-Arts in 1827 and studied under David d'Angers. I ...

;

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; Palissy, by Victor Huguenin; and Rigaud, 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 known sculptor Alfred Barye. Biography Born in Paris, France, Ba ...

and

Pierre-Charles Simart Pierre-Charles Simart (born in Troyes on 27 June 1806, died in Paris on 27 May 1857) was a French sculptor. The son of a carpenter from Troyes in Champagne, Simart was the pupil of Antoine Desbœuf, Charles Dupaty, Jean-Pierre Cortot and Ja ...

; * 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, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

, then representing cutting-edge technological progress, and the only surviving public portrayal of Napoleon III in Paris. File:Paris - Palais du Louvre - 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 Robert Le Lorrain (1666–1743) was a French baroque sculptor who was born in Paris. He was born into a family of bureaucrats, the son of Claude Le Lorrain, a business agent of Nicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV of France, Louis XIV's Minister of Financ ...

'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 ...

, Rouillard, Alfred Jacquemart, , 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 Palais du Louvre 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 ...

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 Jacques Androuet du Cerceau, the younger (1550 – 16 September 1614),Miller 1996, p. 353. was a French architect. Life and career He was born in Paris, the son of the eminent French architect and engraver, Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau, and ...

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 t ...

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 He 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 the n ...

further east. Between the Pavillon de Flore and the Pavillon des Sessions, Lefuel created a monumental passageway (then called the , now

Porte des Lions The Louvre Palace (french: link=no, Palais du Louvre, ), 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 ...

) 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 Pier ...

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

was placed above the arches of the Grands Guichets. That setting, however, did not last long, as the

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

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 Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, ...

, 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 who restored many prominent medieval landmarks in France, including those which had been damaged or abandoned during the French Revolution. H ...

, 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 French Finance Ministry, which had been ...

project initiated by President

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

in the 1980s, the French Finance Ministry was compelled to leave the Louvre's North Wing, in which it had been headquartered since 1871. 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

Louvre museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

in the same wing and opened in 1994, has been designed by in a reinterpretation of the Second Empire style. 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

Napoleon III style Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts, which uses elements of many different historical styles, and also made innovative use of modern materials, such as i ...

, also known as Second Empire 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 French bank Crédit Lyonnais, now LCL) is a Haussmannian style building located in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. It is on the block formed by the Boulevard des Italiens, the rue de ...

in Paris, and in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

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

Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

(built 1871-1888), and the

Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia. Built in the ornate Second Empire style, City Hall houses the chambers of the Philadelphia City Council and the offices of the Mayor of Philadelphia. It ...

(built 1871-1901).

Notes

{{Louvre Louvre Palace Second Empire architecture

Project development

Description

Statuary

Later history

Influence

See also

Notes