The 13 Best Works in the Louvre in Paris

The Louvre Museum in Paris is not only one of the most valuable museums in the world, it is also one of the largest, and seeing it is undoubtedly one of the essential things to do in Paris. Located in the former royal palace of the Louvre in the centre of Paris, it covers more than 60,000 square metres and houses some 35,000 works of various kinds.

With such an extensive collection, it is impossible to see the entire museum in a single visit. That is why, in this post, I will tell you which pieces every visitor who buys tickets for the Louvre must see.

Once you have exchanged your ticket for the Louvre Museum, we begin this tour with one of the most iconic sculptures in the art gallery and in the history of art, the Venus de Milo It is considered one of the most important sculptures of ancient Greece and was found in 1820 by a farmer working the land on the island of Milo in Greece.

It represents the goddess Aphrodite and is made from a single piece of white marble, standing just over two metres tall. It owes its fame and beauty to the impeccable work of its creator and its proportions, which are considered to be in perfect harmony.

• Author: Attributed to Alexander of Antioch.
• Date: 110 BC.
• Location: Ground floor of the Louvre, room 345.

Personally, this is my favourite sculpture in the entire museum. It is simply spectacular. It depicts Nike, the goddess of victory in Greek culture, walking on the prow of a ship. It is believed to have been made to commemorate a victory in a naval battle. It was found near the Greek island of Samothrace in 1863 and later brought to France.

The posture, the position of the wings and, above all, the workmanship of the marble simulating a wet tunic make the sculpture seem as if it is about to come to life and fly away. In addition, its location in the museum in a privileged spot, at the top of the Daru staircase and on a large pedestal simulating the bow of a ship, further enhances its beauty. Did you know that you can see a copy of the sculpture if you take a trip to Versailles from Paris?

• Author: Unknown.
• Date: 190 BC
• Location: Daru Staircase.

The Seated Scribe is one of the best known and most important figures from ancient Egypt due to its exceptional state of preservation. The sculpture depicts a scribe, a high-ranking official in ancient Egyptian society, with a level of detail rarely seen in ancient Egyptian works.

The colours of the hair, skin and eyes, made of rock crystal, white quartz and ebony,are almost completely intact. In addition, it features details such as the folds of the skin due to the figure's posture, which are highly unusual in works from the same period. An essential piece for lovers of Egyptian culture.

• Author: Unknown.
• Date: Between 2480 and 2350 BC.
• Location: Floor 1, room 635.

You have almost certainly studied or read something about the Code of Hammurabi. It is nothing less than the first legal document in history that we know of. Well, with your ticket to the Louvre Museum, you can see it for yourself.

It is a two-metre-high black basalt stone depicting the god Shamash handing the laws to the Babylonian king Hammurabi. Engraved beneath this relief are the 282 laws known as the Code of Hammurabi, including some well-known ones such as the law of retaliation and the principle of the presumption of innocence. More than for its artistic value, this work stands out for its historical significance, being one of the most important in the Louvre in this regard.

• Author: Unknown.
• Date: 1750 BC.
• Location: Floor 0, room 3.

In terms of pure beauty, this work occupies a privileged place in the Louvre and in the history of art. Also known as The Kiss, the representation of Eros and Psyche is beautiful thanks to the work of its creator, Antonio Canova, with the marble in the posture and details of the figures.

But also because of the legend it represents. Aphrodite, goddess of beauty, ordered her son Cupid to shoot an arrow at Psyche, the most beautiful daughter of the king of Anatolia, out of jealousy for her beauty. This arrow would make Psyche fall hopelessly in love with the worst man she ever met, but Cupid fell in love with her and ended up throwing the arrow away.

• Author: Antonio Canova.
• Date: Late 18th century.
• Location: Floor 0, room 4.

These colossal figures were representations of hybrids between bulls, eagles and humans, which in Mesopotamian culture were placed at the entrance to cities and temples in the belief that they served to protect them from enemies.

The Louvre Museum houses two of these figures, which, together with those in the British Museum, are among the most important preserved examples. They are located at the entrance to a room, fulfilling the function for which they were created. Interestingly, when viewed from the front, the figures appear static, but from the side they give the impression of movement. The trick is that they have five legs.

• Author: Unknown
• Date: 713 BC
• Location: Floor 0, entrance to room 4.

With your ticket to the Louvre Museum, you will not only see sculptures, but also paintings. This tour continues with the most famous painting in the Louvre and in the entire world. Does it need any introduction? I am, of course, talking about La Mona Lisa or La Gioconda. Da Vinci's work is the symbol par excellence of the Louvre, and practically everyone who visits the museum takes a photo of it.

The oil painting is surprisingly small for those who have not seen it before, measuring 77 centimetres high by 53 centimetres wide. The mysteries surrounding the painting are largely responsible for its fame. It is not known for certain who the woman depicted by Leonardo Da Vinci is, although the most widely accepted hypotheses suggest that she may be Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, both nobles from the city of Florence.

Another of the work's attractions is the woman's mysterious smile. Da Vinci's technique and his use of "sfumato", which blurs the background to enhance the figure depicted, are also noteworthy. You'll have to juggle if you want a photo next to the Mona Lisa, as it is always surrounded by hundreds of people. It's best to go first thing in the morning, when the Louvre opens, to avoid the crowds.

• Author: Leonardo Da Vinci.
• Date: Between 1503 and 1519.
• Location: Floor 1, room 6.

Another of the most famous paintings you will see on your guided tour of the Louvre Museum is The Wedding at Cana. It is located in the same room as the Mona Lisa, so it is sometimes overshadowed until visitors turn around and contemplate its imposing dimensions. The painting is almost 7 metres high and almost 10 metres wide.

Its enormous size, colours and details make it a masterpiece of Italian Mannerism. The painting depicts Jesus accompanied by his disciples at a wedding in Cana, known for being the place where he turned water into wine. Interestingly, the painting arrived in France after Napoleon's troops stole it from Italy in 1797.

• Author: Paolo Veronese.
• Date: 1562 and 1563.
• Location: Floor 1, room 6.

With your ticket to the Louvre Museum, you will also see the most recognisable symbol of the French Revolution and an icon of French art. This famous painting by Eugène Delacroix depicts one of the uprisings of the French people against the monarchy, represented by a bare-breasted woman holding the French flag in one hand and a rifle in the other.

An image that has become an icon of freedom and can now be admired at the Louvre Museum.

• Author: Eugène Delacroix.
• Date: 1831.
• Location: Floor 1, room 77.

Along with Liberty Leading the People, The Coronation of Napoleon is one of the greatest works of French art. It was commissioned by Napoleon himself from his official painter, Jacques-Louis David, and depicts the moment of his coronation as Emperor of France in Notre Dame Cathedral.

The value of the painting lies firstly in the historical significance of the moment it depicts and secondly in its artistic value. It is one of those paintings that you can contemplate for many minutes because of the amount of detail it contains.

• Author: Jacques-Louis David.
• Date: Between 1805 and 1808.
• Location: Floor 1, room 75.

You may not be familiar with it, but this is one of the most important works by Jacques-Louis David, the same artist who painted The Coronation of Napoleon. The canvas, measuring 3.3 metres high and 4.2 metres wide, depicts the oath of the sons of Horatius before leaving for war against the Curiatii.

This was a conflict of interest, as two of Horace's sons were engaged to two women from the Curiatii. But more than for its background story, this painting is renowned for its composition and perspective. It is so accomplished that it is used as an example in art schools around the world.

• Author: Jacques-Louis David.
• Date: Between 1784.
• Location: Floor 1, room 702.

This work is an icon of French Romanticism. The painting itself was a criticism of King Louis XVIII, as it depicts an unusual subject that was highly topical at the time, largely thanks to this painting. It recounts the shipwreck of a French frigate in 1816 with more than 150 soldiers on board, of whom only about 20 survived, an event that was heavily criticised by French society at the time.

• Author: Théodore Géricault.
• Date: Between 1818 and 1819.
• Location: Floor 1, room 700.

Finally, to close this list of works, I will take the liberty of adding a painting by one of my favourite artists. The Death of the Virgin by Caravaggio. In its day, it was a very controversial work, depicting the Virgin Mary dead and surrounded by the apostles. Their expressions are very well done and perfectly convey the pain in the painting.

It was the last painting Caravaggio made in Rome, his place of residence, as he was later forced to flee the city for killing a man during a fight. This work is considered the most important religious painting of the Italian Seicento.

• Author: Caravaggio.
• Date: 1606.
• Location: Floor 1, room 11.

With over 35,000 paintings, objects and sculptures and limited time to see the Louvre, it's inevitable that you'll miss some of the most important works on your list of things to see and do in Paris. But to discover them all and get to know one of the best museums in Paris and the world in depth, the best thing you can do is visit it. That way, you can make your own list of the works that have impressed you the most. Visiting the Louvre is something you will never forget.