Description
The Louvre (French: Musée du Louvre or simply: Le Louvre) is one of the world's largest museums, located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. It is situated just north of the Seine. It consists of three wings: the Richelieu Wing, the Sully Wing, and the Denon Wing. Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is probably the most famous piece in the Louvre's collection. The museum is part of the Réunion des musées nationaux et du Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées. It has been the world's most visited museum for many years. The Marquis de Marigny, appointed administrator of the Louvre by Louis XIV, had the Cour Carrée completed by Jacques-Germain Soufflot, despite a limited budget. In 1779, the new administrator, the Count of Angiviller, came up with the idea of using the Louvre to house (part of) the royal art collection. However, his idea didn't have time to materialize due to the intervention of the French Revolution. Although the revolution left the king defunct, the Louvre was not considered the sole property of the people. D'Angiviller pushed his idea for a museum through the new rulers, who recognized the need to protect the national art collection from the ravages of the revolution. The idea of a national heritage began to develop, and in 1791, the Legislative Assembly decided to establish a museum in the Louvre. On August 10, 1793, the Louvre opened as a museum, one of the oldest in the world. Even older are the Ashmolean Museum (1683), the Dresden Museum (1744), and the Vatican Museums (1784).
Jasper is an opaque and finely crystalline variety of quartz. Its chemical composition is identical to that of agate, flint, and chert. Its colors are variable, from yellow through red and reddish brown to green. Jasper stones are cut and polished for jewelry. The name jasper derives from a Semitic language via Latin and Greek (íaspis) and means "spotted or speckled stone." The main deposits of jasper are India (Dekkan Plateau) and Mexico (yellow), Germany (red), and Africa, Australia, Brazil, Egypt, France, and the United States (other colors). Jasper has been used as a gemstone since ancient times. It was made into seal stones, small cut stones, and trinkets. Jasper was believed to have magical powers. In ancient times, it was called the mother of all stones. Today, it is used in cabochons, tableware, and handicrafts. Imitations are made from glass. The Egyptians and Greeks already used jasper to enhance sexuality and achieve rapid pregnancy. Among Native Americans, yellow jasper served as a rainstone. Several medicinal properties are attributed to jasper, such as stress reduction, weight loss, treating stomach complaints, and resolving liver problems. According to various literary sources, jasper is associated with the zodiac signs Aries, Virgo, Cancer, and Scorpio. The Christian text Revelation 4:2-3 states: "In that moment I was in the Spirit. There was a throne in heaven, and someone was sitting on it. The one sitting had the appearance of a jasper and a sardine stone, and around the throne was a rainbow like an emerald.".
