Curiosities of The Louvre


The Louvre, the most visited museum in the world, has 38,000 works including the most famous: La Joconde. That being said, it also offers some unique and sometimes strange curiosities.

#1 Mummies: In the Egyptian wing, there is a mummy like no other. This 2,300-year-old unknown man is wrapped in bandages forming a particular pattern on his face! Amazing! You can also see a lot of mummified cats, revered animals under the Pharaohs reign.

#2 Pazuzu: A small statue is visible in the Mesopotamian wing, Pazuzu “the Demon king of the Wind” , mostly known to be the Demon in the famous movie “The Exorcist”. Check it out closely… or not!

#3 The two-sided painting: “David and Goliath” by Daniele da Volterra (1550-1555) has the particularity of being presented on a pedestal to be able to see the painting from 2 different angles (front and back). This was made to prove that painting could be as detailed as sculpting. Game: Try to find the differences between the two faces.

#4 A painting full of heart: In the French Painting area, “Interior of a Kitchen” by Martin Drolling (1815) isn’t famous what it shows but for the unique material used to make it. Indeed, his author bought former Europeans kings and queens mummified hearts to create a unique red pigment and would have used it on this piece.

#5 Paintings “Inception”: This time, it is the subject that interest us. “Modern Rome” (1759) by Giovanni P. Panini, is a representation of a gallery full of paintings. So, it is a painting in a gallery that represents a gallery full of paintings. Inception!

If you would like to speak about this with us and a fun group of people, check out our French Groups here.