Description
In 1800, the Musée du Louvre was inaugurated as the Musée Central des Arts, a repository and gallery for France’s great art treasures. It was assumed that its collection would be enlarged by treasures taken by conquest. When Napoleon invaded Italy and the papal states in the late 18th century, many priceless antique marble statues were ceded by treaty to France and installed in the Louvre. After the defeat of the French, most of these works of art were returned to their rightful owners in 1815, including the Vatican, in Rome.
Among the prints from this series that we have from time to time are the following:
Bacchus
Esculape [Aesculapius (or Asclepios), God of Medicine]
Jason
Uranie [Urania, Muse of Astronomy]
Le Faune En Repos [Resting Faun]
Le Faune Chasseur [Faun as Hunter]
Apollon Lycien [Lycian Apollo]
Discobole en Repos [Discus Thrower at Rest]
Meleagre [Meleagrus, from the myth of the hunt of Calydon]
Hercule et Telephe [Heracles (or Hercules) and His Son Telephus]
Personnage Heroique Inconnu [Unknown Hero]
Jeune Athlete Remerciant Les Dieux [Young Athlete Thanking the Gods]
Personnage Romain en Forme de Mercure [Mercury]
Condition: Each generally very good, recently professionally cleaned and restored with light remaining overall toning and wear. Images in different prints vary in size depending on plate mark, but generally frame well as a set.