Exterior view

The east fa�ade of the Louvre finally built in 1667-68, for which Claude Perrault claimed responsibility, was an improvement on earlier designs as a monument to the French monarchy. Perrault used the motif of the colonnade as an appropriate structure for what was essentially a late-medieval palace complex, but his version demonstrated a new classical rigor. Over an escarpment and an unobtrusively structured ground floor lay an elongated columned hall, the corners of which were given added emphasis by pavilions resembling triumphal arches. The central axis is accentuated by a projecting temple frontage. The palace structure is thus enhanced by the religious motif. The extended alignment of double Corinthian columns was the most distinctive and frequently quoted feature here; their impressive weight was further stressed by the ridge line traversing the entire breadth of the building.

The photo shows the central part of the Colonnade.