How the Collection was Formed

The rebelling slave by Michelangelo

In 1794, when the slaves sculpted by Michelangelo for the tomb of Jules II came into the Louvre after they were seized as émigrés' property, they formed an exception. In fact, until then only antique sculpture had been allowed in the museum.
In 1824 five rooms, dedicated to the works of the XVIth and XVIIIth centuries, were opened under the name "Galerie d'Angoulême". The Middle Ages were incorporated after 1850. In 1863, the addition to the Louvre of the Campana collection enriched the small core of Italian sculpture.

After the war in 1870, Louis Courajod determined to make his department into a "living progression of the history of French sculpture". Formerly part of the Antiquities department, the Department of Sculptures only achieved autonomous status in 1893. Since then, the collections have continuously grown in size.

Louvre Menu