Taken from another well known and often painted Old Testament story, The Toilet of Esther (1841) is less strongly narrative. It shows Esther, an orphan daughter of a Benjamite who had been living in exile in Persia. After becoming a member of King Ahasuerus’ harem, Esther dressed in her finest in order to successfully persuade the king to spare the life of her former guardian Mordecai, and to execute his anti-Semitic grand vizier Haman.

The Toilet of Esther, 1841 by Théodore Chassériau. Oil on canvas, 45.5 x 35.5 cm.

 Taken from another well known and often painted Old

“Jacopo Bassano was a master of depicting dogs, and included them as incidentals in many of his paintings. This work was one of the earliest paintings to use dogs as its sole subject matter. The painting was commissioned by Antonio Zentani, a wealthy Venetian art collector, and depicts two hounds from his hunting kennels. The two dogs, which resemble pointers, fill the canvas, so that they are thrust into the viewer’s focus. This lends them great monumentality and puts them on the same level as the viewer, with the standing dog making direct eye contact. The realism with which they are depicted is quite extraordinary, the tactile quality of their coats convincing and the life beneath the surface of the paint almost tangible.⁣

The dogs themselves are significantly more realistic in their portrayal than the expertly painted but contrived foliage in the right foreground, and this contrast accentuates their animal quality, lending them the movement and spirit of a pair of real hunting dogs.⁣

This work set something of a precedent for the depiction of dogs, and influenced other artists, while Bassano later produced several more paintings with dogs as the sole subject.”⁣

 Jacopo Bassano⁣ Two Hunting Dogs Tied to a Tree Stump⁣

“⁣The Resurrection of Christ shows the resurrection in a new light. Most resurrection paintings show the tomb already opened without human assistance or already removed completely. This panting on the other hand shows the lid still on and sealed. This is all to show that there was no way Christ could have escaped the tomb with the exception of a divine miracle. Carracci uses a “forceful diagonal” to split heaven and earth. Christ’s left foot is the dividing point between the light and dark areas of the painting. He hovers, glowing, above the tomb; drawing the paint to a center focal point. There is also a soldier asleep on the top of the tomb and the lock on the tomb remains unbroken. Another soldier is painted in the background and he points out the fact that the lock was not broken, to an on looker.  Other things going on in the painting include even more soldiers whom are shown running away. There is one exception however, in the middle there is a soldier that stays relaxed on the ground. Angels are also shown clearing a path through the clouds for Jesus to ascend to heaven. The reactions of the soldiers were inspired by other artists that Carracci observed.”

 Annibale Carracci⁣ Resurrection⁣ 1593⁣ “⁣The Resurrection

Portrait of an unknown woman, incorrectly known as "La belle Ferronniere"⁣

“Belonging to the collection of Francis I, this three-quarter bust portrait is of a lady of the court. She was wrongly renamed "La Belle Ferronnière" ("Ferronnière" being the wife or daughter of an ironmonger) in 1709 during an inventory conducted by Nicolas Bailly (1659-1736).”⁣

 Leonardo da Vinci⁣ Portrait of an unknown woman

The First Entry of the Four Ghosts (Première entrée des fantômes, quatre figures)⁣

“An illustrated tableaux depicting part of a performance given at the Louvre in 1632. In this scene, the ghosts of spirits believed to haunt the Louvre grounds appear swathed in black robes.”⁣

 Daniel Rabel⁣ The First Entry of the Four Ghosts (Première

“Boy with a Spinning-Top or Child with a Teetotum is a 1738 painting by Jean Siméon Chardin, now in the Louvre in Paris, which acquired it in 1907.⁣

It is based on a 1735 work now in the São Paulo Museum of Art and shows Auguste-Gabriel, son of the jeweller Charles Godefroy, contemplating a teetotum or spinning top, in line with Age of Enlightenment ideas on childhood and play, especially those of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. On the table in the background are an inkwell, a pen and books, whilst a drawer in the table is open to show a porte-crayon.”⁣

 Jean Siméon Chardin⁣ Boy with a Spinning-Top⁣ 1738⁣ “Boy

“The work is a product of Chassériau's early maturity, when he was eager to demonstrate his independence form his former master, J.A.D. Ingres, with whom he had had a falling-out in 1840. When the painting was exhibited in the Salon of 1843, the response of the critics and the public was mixed.⁣

Although the representation of the identically dressed sisters suggests twinship, Adèle (on the left) was thirty-three and Aline (on the right) was twenty-one when they posed for the portrait.⁣

By the time of Chassériau's death in 1856, The Two Sisters was regarded as one of his most important works. It entered the collection of the Louvre in 1918.”⁣

 Théodore Chassériau⁣ The Two Sisters⁣ 1843⁣ “The work is a

“Grande Odalisque, also known as Une Odalisque or La Grande Odalisque, is an oil painting of 1814 by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres depicting an odalisque, or concubine. Ingres' contemporaries considered the work to signify Ingres' break from Neoclassicism, indicating a shift toward exotic Romanticism.⁣

Grande Odalisque attracted wide criticism when it was first shown. It is renowned for the elongated proportions and lack of anatomical realism. The work is owned by the Louvre Museum, Paris which purchased the work in 1899.⁣

This eclectic mix of styles, combining classical form with Romantic themes, prompted harsh criticism when it was first shown in 1814. Critics viewed Ingres as a rebel against the contemporary style of form and content. When the painting was first shown in the Salon of 1819, one critic remarked that the work had "neither bones nor muscle, neither blood, nor life, nor relief, indeed nothing that constitutes imitation". This echoed the general view that Ingres had disregarded anatomical realism. Ingres instead favored long lines to convey curvature and sensuality, as well as abundant, even light to tone down the volume. Ingres continued to be criticized for his work until the mid-1820s.”⁣

 Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres⁣ Grande Odalisque⁣ 1814⁣

Mona Lisa is also known as La Gioconda. ⁣⁣

This figure of a woman, dressed in the Florentine fashion of her day and seated in a visionary, mountainous landscape, is a remarkable instance of Leonardo's sfumato technique of soft, heavily shaded modeling. The Mona Lisa's enigmatic expression, which seems both alluring and aloof, has given the portrait universal fame.⁣⁣⁣

Truly priceless, the painting cannot be bought or sold according to French heritage law. As part of the Louvre collection, "Mona Lisa" belongs to the public, and by popular agreement, their hearts belong to her.⁣⁣⁣

1. She lived with Francois I, Louis XIV and Napoleon ⁣⁣⁣

Although da Vinci began work on his masterpiece while living in his native Italy, he did not finish it until he moved to France at King Francois I's request. The French king displayed the painting in his Fontainebleau palace where it remained for a century. Louis XIV removed it to the grand Palace of Versailles. At the outset of the 19th century, Napoleon Bonaparte kept the painting in his boudoir. ⁣⁣⁣

Although in the art world, the painting had always been an acknowledged masterpiece, it wasn't until it was stolen in the summer of 1911 that it would capture the attention of the general public. When the painting finally returned to the Louvre two years later, practically the whole world was cheering. ⁣⁣⁣

3.Picasso was under suspicion for the theft. During the investigation, the gendarmes went so far as to question known art dissidents such as Pablo Picasso about the theft. Their suspicions proved to be unfounded. ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ 4.Not everyone is a fan. ⁣⁣⁣

Various vandals have tried to harm da Vinci's famed masterpiece, and 1956 was a particularly bad year. In two separate attacks, one person threw acid at the painting, and another individual pelted it with a rock. The damage is faint but still noticeable. The addition of bulletproof glass repelled subsequent attacks with spray paint in 1974 and a coffee cup in 2009. ⁣⁣⁣

 Leonardo da Vinci ⁣⁣⁣ Mona Lisa c. 1503–1506⁣⁣⁣ Mona Lisa

bequest Mr. and Mrs. G.L.F. Philips-van der Willigen, 1942

 Claude Monet, Quai du Louvre, ca.1867 Oil on Canvas, 65.1 x

Maxime Maufra, The Pont du Louvre After A Storm, 1909

Maxime Maufra, The Port du Louvre After A Storm, 1909

 Maxime Maufra, The Port du Louvre After A Storm, 1909 Oil

The Gypsy Girl by Frans Hals in the Louvre is actually a prostitute. Once you have seen it, her image will stay forever in your mind!

A detailed discussion of this work can be found on my blog.

 The Gypsy Girl by Frans Hals in the Louvre is actually a

The celestial globe from 1600 in The Astronomer by Johannes Vermeer in the Louvre still exists today!

 The celestial globe from 1600 in The Astronomer by Johannes

The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault in the Louvre is the most famous painting of the Romantic Art movement. It depicts a moment from an incredibly cruel yet fascinating survival story!

 The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault in the Louvre

The Death of Sardanapalus by Delacroix in the Louvre shows an incredibly cruel picture of how the Assyrian king killed all his mistresses before setting himself an his possessions on fire!

Read more about this fascinating work on my blog.

 The Death of Sardanapalus by Delacroix in the Louvre shows

 is stealing an expensive ring from the nobleman!

 The gypsy woman in The Fortune Teller by #caravaggio in the

In The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David in the Louvre, Napoleon crowns himself after stealing the crown from the Pope at the last moment!

 In The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David in the

La Belle Jardiniere by Raphael in the Louvre may be the best of all the Madonnas that he painted!

 La Belle Jardiniere by Raphael in the Louvre may be the

There is an incredible amount of detail in Madonna of Chancellor Rolin by Jan van Eyck in the Louvre!

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The most expensive artwork ever - Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci - seems to be missing. It shows Jesus holding an orb. And what we can see in the orb defies the laws of physics. Did da Vinci omit the reflection of Jesus’ hand on purpose to show his supernatural abilities?

 The most expensive artwork ever - Salvator Mundi by

The Statue of Liberty is heavily inspired by the woman in Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix in the Louvre!