It’s a big day today for Paris History Avec A Hemingway podcast! It’s the 50th episode! It also happens to be my birthday and the same number. When trying to decide who we would talk about for this epic episode it was almost impossible. Then it came to me, it had to be about something in my favorite place to spend a day, the Musée du Louvre.
The Louvre is filled with thousands of pieces of art, however most people only visit a few when they spend a few hours inside the historic walls. The three most popular ladies of the Louvre, may hang and stand there waiting for the thousands to take a selfie with but they each also have a story.
The Mona Lisa, the most famous painting in the world, her image is recreated onto everything but few people know she was a real person. Lisa Giocondo was a Florentine woman married to Francesco who had commissioned Leonardo to paint his wife. They had five children, sadly only two made it to adulthood. When she sat for Leonardo it was just after one of her children died, he captures her in her morning attire. Francesco would die before he could ever pay for the painting and the painting would travel to France with the artist and later bought by Francois I.
My favorite of the three is the Winged Victory of Samothrace. The majestic headless lady that stands high above the steps looking like she is about to take flight. Discovered in 1863 and dating back to the 2nd century BC. When she arrived at the Louvre in 1864 she was in 118 pieces. Her torso, left wing and lower body were first displayed without any plans to restore her. In 1871 a new restorer took on the task of putting her back together to the beautiful lady we see today.
The Venus de Milo, may not even be Venus after all. The famous armless figure of beauty could be Amphitrite, goddess of the sea. Discovered by a Greek farmer on April 8, 1820 while looking for some rocks. Purchased for 1000 francs by the Marquis de Riviere on behalf of the French and after much negotiation she was finally sent to Paris as a gift for Louis-Philippe. He gave it to the Louvre, where she has been since 1821.
