Off-the-Beaten-Track Louvre Tour

The tour is normally based on the Richelieu Wing and some sections of the Sully Wing.

The exact content of the tour depends on the opening of the galleries, which varies according to the days of the week.

If you have precise expectations always look at the Louvre galleries opening calendar before booking a tour (There is no guarantee about this schedule, any gallery may be closed anytime without notice).

Alone in front of Rubens's most Famous Gallery? Photo Pexels.

Example of Possible Galleries of the Tour

Decorative Arts

Middle Age & Renaissance

Napoléon I Gallery

Napoleon throne

Napoléon III Apartements

See our Napoleon III Apartements blog post for more informations

French paintings

16, 17, 18, or 19 centuries

Dutch paintings

Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals

Flemish paintings

Van Eyck, Brueghel, Rubens, Van Dyck)

Cour Marly French Sculptures

From 500 to 1700. Sculptures of the former palace of Marly (Louis XIV & Louis XV)

Cour Puget French Sculptures

French sculptures from 1700 to 1850: Baroque, Neo-Classical and Romantique.

18th Century Art of Living

Period rooms: Baroque, Rocco, neo classical fournitures.

Near Eastern antiquities

Code of Hammurabi, Palace of Sargon II, Palace of Darius.

Flemish Paintings Galleries. Jan van Eyck Madona of Chancellor Rolin. 

Example of Famous Artifacts of the Richelieu & North Sully Wings

The ʿAin Ghazal Statue (Circa 7000 BC, modern days Jordan). Made of lime plaster, it is one of the earliest large-scale representations of the human form. One of the most remarkable specimens of prehistoric art from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period.

Statue of Ebih-Il (2400 BC), Superintendent of the ancient city-state of Mari (in modern Syria). The statue is made of gypsum, with inlays of schist and lapis lazuli.

The Code of Hammurabi (1792 – 1750 BC): a basalt stele that gives prominence to the lex talionis later appears in the Bible in the form of: ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth '.

The Cour Khorsabad (Circa 700 BC) where have been installed the great winged bulls with human heads (called Lamassu) that were guarding the entrance to the palace of Assyrian king Sargon II.

Frieze of Archers of Darius's Palace. Darius was King of the Kings of the Achaemenid Empire (550 – 486 BCE); he was King of Persia, King of Babylon, and Pharaon of Egypt. He was defeated by the Greeks at the Battle of Marathon (490 BC).

Passing Lion (Babylon, reign of Nebuchadrezzar II, 605 BC–562 BC): bricks panel of glazed terracotta from the Procession Way, which ran from the Marduk temple to the Ishtar Gate.

Joyeuse (also called the sword of Charlemagne). It has been used in French royal coronation ceremonies since the 13th century. This legendary sword is the French counterpart to the English Excalibur.

Sceptre of Charles V (King of France from 1364 to 1380). At the top of his golden scepter is a statue representing Charlemagne sitting on the throne with his imperial crone.

The Morion (helmet) of King Charles IX of France is an amazing artifact designed by goldsmith Pierre Reddon. Although used in many other countries, the iconic murions are primarily identified with early Spanish explorers and conquistadors in South America and Mexico.

Chest for Louis XIV's gems, 1675, by goldsmith Jakob Blanck.

Marie-Antoinette's furniture, including her necessaire de voyage (vanity case).

Trone and Crone of Napoleon I.

Portrait of Jean II, King of France (1350-1364). This painting is often considered the first known individual portrait of Western art.

The Gallery de Medicis. A stunning cycle of 24 paintings by Rubens glorifying the life of the queen of France, Marie de Medicis. 

Portrait of King of France François I. A stunning Masterpiece of the French Renaissance by Jean Clouet.

The Lacemaker By Vermeer. It was considered the best painting in the world by Renoir. Also by Vermeer, The Astronomer.

The Emmaus Pilgrims, Bathsheba by Rembrandt, and numerous self-portraits.

Louis XIV's most famous portrait by Hyacinthe Rigaud.

Portrait of John II king of France.

Example of Extra Content That Can Be Seen

First, we can see more galleries and artifacts of the Richelieu and /or Sully Wing that are listed in the two-hour alternative tour presentation.

But, having more time, we can also walk to some lesser-visited sections of the Denon Wing (the one where there is the Mona Lisa), where there are some interesting, most of the time very quiet Louvre departments or galleries.

Egyptian galleries

The Louvre hosts one of the biggest Egyptian collections in the world. There are two dedicated galleries in the Louvre: the Egyptian chronological gallery and the Egyptian thematic gallery. 

Art of Islam

There is the amazing Baptistère of Saint Louis, a 14-century Islamic art jewel, a hammered brass basin that was used as a baptismal font for future French Kings,

Archaic Ancient Greece Sculptures

• In this Gallery is the Lady of Auxerre, an archaic Cretan sculpture from the 7th century BCE

Spanish painting

El Greco (Saint Louis), Ribeira (The Clubfoot), Murillo (The Young Beggar, The Birth of the Virgin, The Angels' Kitchen), Goya (The Countess del Carpio, Marquesa de La Solana). See our Spanish painting blog post for more information. 

Northern Europe Sculpture

There is a fabulous German nude polychrome sculpture of Saint Mary Magdalene.

Africa, Asia, Oceania & the Americas (Non-Western Art)

This department, called Pavillon des Sessions, opened in April 2000 as a satellite, an Embassy of the Quai Branly Museum, which is dedicated to featuring Non-Western art and culture (Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas).

This portrait in Coronation Robe by Hyacinthe Rigaud is King Sun's most famous one. A lot of replicas have been realized by his studio. The original is in the Louvre (Photo credit Getty Museum).