Paris & Around - Discover France: Experience the Best of France - page 105

Need to Know
FACTS 6 hectares of gallery space, 5000 art works, 8 million visitors per year
BRUTAL TRUTH One visit can't possibly cover it all PLAN study
www.louvre.fr to optimise your time. See our author's review, Click here .
Louvre Don't Miss List
BY NIKO SALVATORE MELISSANO, MUSÉE DU LOUVRE
1 WINGED VICTORY OF SAMOTHRACE
It's impossible to reduce the collections of the Louvre to a hit parade… A definite
highlight is the Winged Victory of Samothrace atop the Daru Staircase (1st Floor,
Denon Wing). I adore her wings. I just cannot stop contemplating her from all
angles. She is, moreover, very photogenic.
2 THE SEATED SCRIBE & MONA LISA
I could admire this statuette (Room 22, 1st Floor, Sully Wing) from the ancient
Egyptian empire for hours: the face of the scribe (probably that of Saqqara), like
his posture (a little 'yoga') and his deep stare, say several things to me: serenity,
strength of character, eternal wisdom. Then there is La Joconde (Mona Lisa;
Room 6, 1st Floor, Salle de la Joconde, Denon Wing) and that amazing fascina-
tion of why and how she intrigues spirits with her mysteries.
3 COUR KHORSABAD
With its enormous human-headed winged bulls, this courtyard on the ground
floor of the Richelieu Wing is a jump in time into the cradle of one of the oldest
cultures in the world: Mesopotamia. During the region of King Sargon II in the 8th
century, these bulls carved from alabaster guarded the Assyrian city and palace
of Khorsabad (northern Iraq). Their bearded faces with bull ears and a heavy
tiara of horns wore a benevolent smile. A mix of force and serenity, perfectly bal-