The Gardener of the Cour Marly

The Gardener of the Cour Marly

Tuesdays, the museum is closed to the public. But it is alive with all kinds of activities. Wherever you look, you see men and women working like mad to finish before evening all the tasks that can’t be done in the presence of visitors. There is much to clean, repair, move, hang… On one of the first Tuesdays that I was able to visit the Louvre, I found myself in the courtyard that I call Cour Coysevox and that others call Cour Marly (Richelieu, room 102) which holds the sculptures of the royal chateau. This courtyard, a kind of greenhouse, contains vegetation among the statues that renders some of the ambiance of the park for which they were made. The green of the plants contrasts happily with the marble allegories of the Marne and the Seine, and with the stone staircases and platforms where the works are exhibited. But here, perched on a stepladder, was a gardener pruning a bush. Then he moved on to the next one, made his way around the courtyard, and checked the status of the green and yellow traps hanging from the branches to catch aphids in their glue. I conclude that the Louvre also contains an animal population.