Notice, first, that the Palace as a whole, seen from the point where you
now stand, is constructed on the old principle of relatively blank
external walls, like a castle, with an interior courtyard, on which all
the apartments open, and almost all the decoration is lavished.
Reminiscences of defense lurk about the Louvre. It can best be understood
by comparison with such ornate, yet fortress-like, Italian palaces as the
Strozzi at Florence. Notice the four opposite portals, facing the cardinal
points, which can be readily shut by means of great doors; while the
actual doorways of the various suites of apartments open only into the
protected courtyard. This is the origin of the familiar French porte-
cochere.

Again, the portion of the building that directly faces you as you enter
the court from St. Germain is the oldest part, and represents the early
Renaissance spirit. It is the most primitive Louvre. Note in particular
the central elevated portion, known as a Pavilion, and graced with elegant
Caryatides. These Pavilions are lingering reminiscences of the medieval
towers. You will find them in the corners and centers of other blocks in
the Louvre. They form a peculiarly French Renaissance characteristic. The
Palace is here growing out of the Castle. The other three sides of the
square are, on the whole, more classical and later.

Now across the square directly to the Pavilion de l'Horloge, as it is
called, from the clock which adorns it. To your left, on the floor of the
court, are two circular white lines, enclosed in a square. These mark the
site of the original Chateau of the Louvre, with its keep, or donjon.
Francois I., who began the existing building, originally intended that his
palace should cover the same area. It was he who erected the left wing,
which now faces you, marked by the crown and H on its central round gable,
placed there by his successor, Henry II., under whom it was completed. To