I have been listening to Adventures in the Louvre by Elaine Sciolino after hearing about the book here on the forum. I would definitely recommend reading it prior to a second trip to The Louvre. In the book, Sciolino writes about La Salle de Consultation or The Consultation Room. Here, exhibits that are too light sensitive to be kept on permanent display can be viewed close up and personal. Apparently, there are about 246,000 works. The website page of la salle de consultation gives instructions on who to email to get an appointment. One is supposed to include a list of up to 10 works that are being requested. Sciolino suggests just stopping by and she says that sometimes if you try to get an appointment the email is ignored, but they won't turn you away if you just show up. There is a link to a search engine to look up the catalog numbers of the works you want to see. Sciolino quotes the curator as saying that it is a shame that only 800 people per year take advantage of this opportunity. It is a free service and you don't need a museum ticket.
WOW, this blew me away!
Have any of you done this before? If yes, please, please share your experience.
I am going to attempt doing this for sure!
The advice I need is regarding how to choose 10 works for myself and 10 for my son. I haven't quite figured out how to look up something that I don't know exists. I will be looking for a list of the works, but if you have any ideas, please share.