Louvre Museum no relation Henry II
The entrance wing and the courtyard
The present neoclassical entrance wing is a late addition, constructed after Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé, decided in 1787 to demolish the original gateway, which was surmounted by a statue of Montmorency, in order to have a better view of the garden.  The new neoclassical entrance wing was completed in 1807 by the architect Antoine-François Peyre.The central courtyard received major additions during the reign of Henry II of France.  These included two new peristyles on the interior of the north and south wings, by Jean Bullant, installed to rebalance the facades after the enlargement of the stairway to the royal apartment in the north wing. These new peristyles were early examples of French Renaissance architecture, influenced by the Italian work of Bramante, and decorated with classical orders of columns and niches for statuary.  The entrance to the stairway to the King's apartments was originally flanked by two statues by Michelangelo, The Slaves, which were gifts to Montmorency from Henry II. The originals are now in the Louvre Museum.  The entrance to the apartments of the King and Queen is decorated with the crescent emblem of Henry II and the rainbow emblem of Catherine de Medicis.Bullant is also credited with designing the central peristyle on the exterior of the North Wing, which covers the loggias of the monumental stairway. It has a classical pediment, large windows, orders of columns, and horizontal bands of sculptural decoration.
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