Stories from Paris
Free stories from Paris, written by our guides for the MuseCat audio guide.
Paris
The Guardian Lamassu and Ancient Assyria
We move forward roughly a thousand years from when the Code of Hammurabi was created. By this time, Assyria held dominan…
Marks in Stone: The Louvre's Underground Moat
The Louvre started out as a fortress, and where you're standing right now is proof of it. This space was uncovered by ac…
The Guardian with a King's Face: The Great Sphinx
Alongside the pyramids, the Sphinx is one of Egypt's defining symbols. Greek and Roman mythology cast the sphinx as a ma…
Venus de Milo: More Striking Without Her Arms
The statue you're looking at is the Venus de Milo. As stunning as it is, no one knows who made it — its name comes not f…
The Masterpiece Born of Wet Drapery: Nike, Winged Victory
This statue was discovered in 1863 by a French expedition on the Greek island of Samothrace, which is why it's also know…
A Miracle Painted with Friends: Veronese's The Wedding at Cana
By the late Renaissance, the artistic center of gravity had shifted from Florence and Rome to Venice. The Wedding at Can…
The Story of the Great Heist, Told While You Wait in Line
You've finally made it to the Mona Lisa. The line might look long, but it moves faster than you'd expect — so while you…
A Smile That's Puzzled Us for 500 Years: The Mona Lisa
The name "Mona Lisa" is instantly familiar, yet few people actually know what it means. Mona means "lady" or "madam," an…
The Day the Painter Rewrote: David's Coronation of Napoleon
This is The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David. It depicts the ceremony held on December 2, 1804, though the…
A Last Flicker of Hope Amid Despair: Géricault's The Raft of the Medusa
The Raft of the Medusa depicts a real shipwreck that occurred in 1816. The painter, Théodore Géricault, was born in 1791…
Not Joan of Arc, but Marianne: Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People
This is Eugène Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People. Though it depicts a French revolution, it's often mistaken for th…
Life and Death: Michelangelo's Two Slaves
These two sculptures, known as the Slaves, are by Michelangelo, and together they represent life and death. Most people…
Love Awakened by a Kiss: Canova's Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss
Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss is the work of Antonio Canova, widely regarded as one of Italy's greatest sculptors. In p…