Pigeons Flocking At Arc du Carrousel, Louvre

by Liesl Walsh

Title

Pigeons Flocking At Arc du Carrousel, Louvre

Artist

Liesl Walsh

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

Pigeons are gathering at the Arc du Carrousel near the Louvre in Paris, France. This arch was commissioned in 1806 to commemorate Napoleon's military victories in 1805. It is an entrance to the Tuileries Garden and is the dominant feature of the Place du Carrousel, the courtyard of the Louvre where the former Tuileries Palace stood. The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel is only half as large as the more famous Arc de Triomphe which lies at the opposite end of the Champs Elysees. You can see the Louvre pyramid through the arc. The Louvre (Louvre Museum) was my favorite place to visit in Paris. It's grand architecture is impressive. It is located on the the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement of the city. It is the world's second most visited museum after the Palace Museum in China. Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited at the Louvre. The Louvre was originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century under Philip II. You can see the remnants of the fortress in the basement. The Louvre was a palace and was extended many times. In 1682 Louis XIV left the Louvre and made Versailles his palace, making the Louvre a place to display the royal collection. In 1692 the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres and the Academie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture occupied the Louvre and held salons. The Academie remained at the Louvre for 100 years. During the French Revolution the Louvre became a museum to display the nation's masterpieces. Under Napoleon the collection was increased, but after his abdication some of his works seized by armies were returned to their original owners. The Museum has 3 wings: Sully, Denon, and Richelieu. Inbetween the Richelieu and Denon is the main court, the Cour Napoleon, which has a new main entrance under a glass pyramid built in 1988. From this courtyard you can see Napoleon's Arc du Carrousel, behind it the Tuileries Gardens, and in the distance the ferris wheel at the Place de la Concorde. This image is also available in black and white.

You can read about our adventure in Europe in my husband's book, "Vagabonds in France", by Michael A. Barry. Come with us as we lose our home, put everything in storage, and navigate through Europe for a few months with no return date or home to come back to. Sail across the Atlantic, dodge pickpockets, climb mountains, descend into the Paris Metro, endure nasty weather and illness, witness the flood of the century, and meet some wonderful and not-so-wonderful people. Chuckle with us as we live among the French and try to learn their ways and language. Then make it back home to an empty house we'd never seen before. The book with its 75 illustrations is available in both paperback and Kindle on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCUNSEK .

Uploaded

October 26th, 2016

Colors

Embed

Share

Tags