The Louvre Museum [antikvár]

It was in the middle of the XVIIlth century that the idea of creating a museum in the Louvre first arose; in a pamphlet protesting against the secrecy of the Royal collections, its author demanded that they be shown to the public in the Grande Galerie of the palace. In reply to this plea, which Diderot took up in his Encyclopedia (under the entry " Louvre ", 1765), an initial plan was submitted to Louis XV, but without success. Revived under Louis XVI, the scheme was thoroughly investigated by the Comte d'Angi-viller, Superintendant of Public Buildings, but it came to nothing, due to the political situation and lack of funds. Credit for bringing it to fruition was ultimately claimed by the Convention, after the fall of the Monarchy: the "Museum Central des Arts" was set up by a decree of July 27th 1793 and, inaugurated on August 10th of the same year. But the opening was only a partial and temporary measure. Little by little, throughout the entire revolutionary and imper ial periods, a major building and rearrangement programme was carried out in the Grande Galerie, where paintings were shown, and on the ground floor of the Petite Galerie, which was devoted to antiquities; and it was more actively pursued after 1802, when Vivant Denon became Director of the Museum. Constantly enriched by contributions from the wars of conquest, the institution, which wats given the name of Musée Napoléon in 1803, must at that time have presented a unique collection of masterpieces, undoubtedly the most impressive there has ever been.