Le Musée du Louvre: Une dernière fois

As our departure clock was ticking down, we visited the Louvre one more time: Vicki's fifth on this stay in Paris, my third. Hopefully it wasn't really the last. Anyhow, we concentrated on decorative arts this time, and the new Muslim section, which Vicki had not seen before. Then, even we were Louvre'd-out.

Old-time time-pieces for the pocket; for those who didn't trust on the new-fangled
devices

She's domineering, he's sneaking around behind her; they don't see eye-to-eye;
but they both like Margaritas...

Picasso inspiration

Muy famoso...a stained glass window depicting the
achievements of Francois Premier

Not least of which was bringing Leonardo to France (with all the art works he
and Team Leonardo could carry), and starting the tradition that would become
the Louvre Museum; here, Francois is bed-side at Leonardo's death;
manufactured in Sevres

And another, much larger Sevres window, this one depicting the
achievements of the Renaissance, the inventions, discoveries,
and great works, 1450-1550

Jan van Eyck representing the arts; of course it's gratifying to us van Eyck fans
to see him so honored; but he was long dead by 1450, and although his major
innovation, painting in oil, came of age in the Renaisssance, it is hard to think of
him as "Renaissance" or even "northern" Renaissance; in my humble opinion

Moving right along, through vast halls of decorative arts; not very crowded for
a late July Wednesday; everybody else is taking pictures of other people taking
pictures of the Mona Lisa

Nice tapestry of an elephant hunt; elephant hunt?!

Nice serpent serving dish, one of many from the studio of Bernard Palissy,
16th-17th centuries; "garcon!--what's that at the bottom of this dish?!"

Nice center-piece, we thought, but actually it's merely a dish-warming piece;
17th century

Another busy day at the Louvre; note the line to buy tickets

Sunny, in one of his great halls

I think this was in a classic Greek ceramics room; recent ceiling
treatment by the estimable Cy Trombly; I trust the Louvre
director who authorized this abomination was executed by
firing squad; or, preferably, guillotine

And right next door, another abomination, thankfully not by an American

Now in the new and extensive Muslim collection

Roman mosaic from a now-Muslim country

Muslim medieval glass, always interesting

Ceramic tiles, also always of interest, for a few minutes, which is my toleration for
kaleidoscopes

Extremely rare Iranian tile depiction of a poetry contest, 17th century, from the
royal residence in Isfahan; most such depictions, of anything non-kaleidoscopic,
were destroyed in the 19th century

The Winged Victory was being worked on when we were at the Louvre in June,
so we had to stop for a look this time now that she's out again; always impressive,
inspiring, like the great cathedrals and a very few other things