Cyprus at the Louvre
The Department of Oriental Antiquities is hosting an exhibition of sixteen works on loan from the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, part of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus, in its Cypriot archaeology galleries. These works are accompanied by a unique digital experience. Using emblematic and iconic pieces, such as picrolite idols from Mount Troodos and an inscribed copper ingot unearthed in one of the sanctuaries of Enkomi, visitors are invited to gain a deeper understanding of the material production and the commercial and cultural exchanges that flourished on the island during the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages.
Magnificent archaic terracotta votive statues discovered by the Swedish mission in the 1930s at Ayia Irini will be displayed alongside the limestone votive offerings unearthed at Golgoi by the mission of the Count of Vogüé in the 1860s. Around the two Hathoric capitals from the Louvre, recent research on the “Great Goddess” will be highlighted, and alongside the very important collection of anatomical votive offerings, the god Asclepius of Paphos will be enthroned, recalling the importance of Cyprus in the practice of medicine.
By discovering these emblematic works and rediscovering the museum’s collection, visitors will follow a sensory journey enriched by excerpts from poems by George Seferis and Constantine Cavafy, as well as Cypriot songs. This tangible and intangible event celebrates the richness of Cypriot culture throughout history at the Louvre, within the framework of Cyprus’s presidency of the Council of the European Union.
