Richelieu · level -1

Notice how far you can let your eyes travel between the sculptures and the glass above them. On Richelieu’s lower level, the covered courts bring daylight into a part of the palace that might otherwise feel buried. Their broad terraces give large figures room to stand apart from one another. Cour Marly and Cour Puget introduce sculpture once intended for gardens and public monuments. Imagine the difference between a figure made for a room and one expected to be seen across an open space. A broad gesture, a strong outline or the turn of a body can help an outdoor work reach its audience. Choose one sculpture and follow its outline before looking at the smaller details. Then notice how its base and the surrounding terrace affect your sense of its height. Those relationships are part of what you are seeing, just as much as the carved surface. This level also includes French sculpture rooms and the Studio activity space. It offers a useful place to begin thinking about the museum as a setting for looking, making and learning.