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How Egyptian art became part of the Louvre
Decipherment, collecting and changing displays shaped the Egyptian museum you visit today.
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Words became readable
Jean-François Champollion, the French scholar who deciphered hieroglyphs in 1822, founded and directed the Louvre’s first Egyptian museum, which opened in 1827. Names and texts could now contribute to understanding the objects alongside their images and forms.
The collection came together
Purchases helped build the museum. Dedia’s palette, an additional example beyond the stops in this guide, arrived with the collection bought from Henry Salt, a British collector and diplomat, in 1826. Excavation agreements also brought objects to the Louvre. Each work has its own route from an earlier setting into the collection.
Choose a way of looking
The Egyptian displays on level 0 are organised around themes, including everyday life, writing and beliefs. Level 1 takes a chronological approach, following change through time. The Egypt route in this guide concentrates on the thematic display, with the Sphinx as its introduction.
An optional further visit
The Seated Scribe belongs to the separate level 1 display, in room 635. If you want to add it, allow extra time and check the open route with staff. It is outside this guide’s core Egypt itinerary.