The art of the Louvre, containing a brief history of the palace and of its collection of paintings, as well as descriptions and criticism of many of the principal pictures and their artists (1905) (14763065241)

Identifier: artoflouvreconta00pott (find matches)
Title: The art of the Louvre, containing a brief history of the palace and of its collection of paintings, as well as descriptions and criticism of many of the principal pictures and their artists
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors: Potter, Mary Knight, d. 1915
Subjects: Musée du Louvre Painting
Publisher: Boston, L.C. Page & company
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University



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igned, saw no appreciable changes in Lescotsplans. But after his death, after the ill-fated bride, Mary,had sailed back to her Scottish home, the state was in thehands of the queen of Henri II., acting as regent for hernine-year-old son Charles IX. Like all Italians, Catherinede Medici had a taste for art. But it was a taste alwayssubordinated to the caprices of an unquiet nature, whichloved the legitimate in art as little as in life. She hadnot the slightest intention of following docilely herhusbands example, of continuing patiently a work whichat the best offered little to a woman always most attractedby the new. It is not surprising, therefore, that sheinterrupted in the very debut of her reign the projects ofthe dead king. Her first aim was to make the Louvrehabitable. The tournament in which Henri II. was killed tookplace at Tournelles, the royal residence during the reignsof Charles VI., Charles VII., Louis XL, Charles VIII.,Louis XII., Francois I., and Henri II. As an evidence
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tnstor£ of tbe Xoiwre 13 of her great grief at her husbands death Catherine hadhad the palace torn down. This made it all the more nec-essary to hasten operations at the Louvre. The works incourse of building were stopped, the sculptures left un-finished, and all activity was concentrated upon the prepa-rations for habitation. She pushed these rapidly, andlittle by little the Louvre was made ready to receive thecourt. The appearance of the building at this time was strangeenough. At the north and east were the severe lines ofPhilippe-Auguste and Charles V., with their towers,ogives, bridges, turrets, pinnacles and weathercocks.These faced the calm lines of Lescots new wing but re-cently finished, with its admirable sculpture of PaoloPonzio and Jean Goujon. Then, at the south, in themidst of materials and rubbish of all kinds, Catherinestarted a wing of two stories, which became afterward apart of the southern wing that joined the Tuileries andLouvre. There was, however, no attempt at