The Louvre

The Louvre is a famous museum on the bank of the river Seine in central Paris. Its extensive collection of art and historic artefacts includes hundreds of important paintings, works on paper, sculpture and antiquities, not least Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa which has helped it become one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions.

The building known as The Louvre Palace was originally founded as a medieval fortress and was converted into a Renaissance style residence by the French King Francis I in the mid 16^th century. Its beginnings as a gallery date back to Louis XIV using the Louvre as the main location to display the royal collection, following his decision to move the Royal court to Versailles.

Louvre acquires tureens made for George III

16 January 2012

SOTHEBY’S Paris have announced that they have negotiated a private treaty sale to the Louvre for an undisclosed sum of a pair of silver tureens, covers, liners and stands by the French goldsmith Robert-Joseph Auguste.

Louvre acquire ‘withdrawn’ royal French jewel

29 April 2008

The Louvre have secured the return of a French Crown Jewel after 121 years, through a private sale with Christie’s New York.

Louvre bid $4.2m for Messerschmidt ill temper

07 February 2005

Franz Xavier Messerschmidt (1736-83) was one of the most extraordinary figures in the history of Western art.