Musée des Souverains

It was created by the future Napoleon III as a separate section within the Louvre Palace, with the aim to glorify all previous sovereign rulers of France and to buttress his own legitimacy.

[1] The project was steered by Émilien de Nieuwerkerke, a staunch bonapartist who had become Director-General of the French museums administration in late 1849.

[2] Nieuwerkerke's cousin Horace de Viel-Castel became the museum's curator on 1 December 1852, the day before the establishment of the Second Empire.

Henry Barbet de Jouy replaced Viel-Castel as curator in 1863 and re-organized the exhibits in chronological order.

[4]: xiv  The next two rooms were specifically designed for the museum in 1852 by Félix Duban[4]: xxvii  and decorated with paintings by Alexandre-Dominique Denuelle.

The Throne of Dagobert was a highlight of the Musée des Souverains
The Louvre's escalier du midi led to the entrance of the Musée des Souverains