"Reorganized in 1993 when the Richelieu wing opened to the public, The Louvre's Objets d'Art department houses a unique collection of masterpieces produced between the end of antiquity and the middle of the 19th century. These are tapestries, ivories, bronzes, items of jewellery, stained glass windows, hard stones, ceramics, cameos, the Crown Jewels and the marvellous furniture of the former Ministry of Finance in the Napoleon III Room. One hundred and fifty of the department's most beautiful works of art are presented in this guide which provides a history of collections built up around an initial nucleus of medieval treasures and items from the royal furniture repository, all of which are collections that have undergone constant expansion over the past two centuries."--BOOK JACKET.