The Raft of the Medusa
Painted between 1818 and 1819, The Raft of the Medusa is essential viewing on any visit to the Louvre. This vast canvas measures roughly 16 feet tall and 23.6 feet wide. The work of the Romantic painter Théodore Géricault, it is celebrated for a composition that gives a deeply emotional account of a real shipwreck.
Liberty Leading the People
Liberty Leading the People was transferred to the Louvre in 1874. One of the most famous works by Eugène Delacroix, it is an allegory often chosen to represent the French Republic. Its monumental scale, around 8.5 by 10.7 feet, conveys to the viewer the weight of the events it depicts. The Musée National Eugène Delacroix, in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, can also be visited with a Louvre entry ticket.
The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds
The theme of cheating was popularized by Caravaggio in the sixteenth century. At the time, depicting ordinary people was something of a novelty. The composition shows figures turned three-quarters toward the viewer, as if to reveal the deception. The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds, by Georges de La Tour, fits this tradition perfectly.
The Entry of Alexander into Babylon
When Alexander the Great entered Babylon, Darius III of Persia fled his people and his palaces. Triumphant, Alexander discovered a sumptuous city, far grander than the Greeks had imagined. Behind the figure of Alexander, standing in glory upon his golden chariot, one can make out the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Painted by Charles Le Brun in the age of Louis XIV, the work is also known as the Triumph of Alexander.
