The Apollo Gallery at the Louvre: the twelve labours of Hercules
The famous Apollo Gallery at the Louvre Museum has been closed for renovations since 2001. You know, that sumptuous 600-square metre ceremonial gallery with a 15-metre-high ceiling, which housed such wonders as the French Crown Jewels, including the famous Régent (140 carats) and Sancy (53 carats) diamonds, as well as the 105-carat Côte de Bretagne ruby. All of these treasures are temporarily exhibited in room 64 of the Department of Objets d’Art.
Vue de la Galerie d’Apollon.
Built in 1661 under the direction of architect Le Vau and painter Charles Le Brun, the gallery was not fully completed until 1851. In all, over twenty artists worked on the decoration, which served as an example for the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, also the focus of major restoration work.
That is how the 11 paintings on canvas, 30 decorative paintings on plaster, 36 sculptures of stucco and gilded woodwork and 28 tapestries that blend into the arches and walls bear the names of artists like Lagrenée, Girardon, Le Brun and Delacroix.
Décrassage en cours du trophée des Captifs d’Amérique.
The crowds of visitors to the gallery, the wearing effects of time and water damage over the last fifteen years or so have made thorough restoration of the decor necessary. The project should be complete by the end of 2004, after four years of meticulous work removing dirt and previous restorations, cleaning paint layers and restoring the panelling and parquet flooring.
Un test de stratigraphie est effectué sur ces sculptures représentant Uranie et Erato afin de retrouver les couleurs d’origine.
Scaffolding has been set up for teams of highly skilled restorers to conduct work on location. All these exceptional pieces will recreate a harmonious whole for the modest price of six million euros with the patronage of Total Fina Elf.
Décrassage de la statue en stuc représentant Terpsichore.
