For art lovers, exploring art museums around the world is an unparalleled privilege. Throughout the vast history of humankind, countless artistic treasures have been left behind. Understanding the profound meaning behind a work of art and experiencing the beauty and emotion that transcends time and space is a must. Today, we'll take you on a virtual tour of four of the world's largest museums. Official website links are included to help you virtually explore the exhibitions!

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  1. 1.Musée du Louvre

Established: 1793
Location：Musée du Louvre, Pavillon Mollien, 75058 PARIS CEDEX 01 - France
Admission:
General admission: €22.00
Under 18s and EEA residents under 26: Free
Opening hours:
9:00 AM-6:00 PM: Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
9:00 AM-6:00 PM: Wednesday and Friday
Closed: Tuesday
Last entry: 1 hour before closing
Public holidays: the Louvre is closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. It remains open on all other public holidays unless they fall on a Tuesday, the museum’s day of closure.
Official Website: https://www.louvre.fr
Known as the "top of the world’s four great museums," the Louvre in France stands among the oldest, largest, and most renowned museums globally. Originally a French royal palace, it was not until the French Revolution of 1793 that it was officially transformed into a public museum under the impetus of the changing times.
The Louvre's collection is incredibly diverse: from ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman artifacts to medieval and Renaissance paintings and sculptures, as well as art from Asia and Africa. This rich assortment has earned it the title of "a treasure trove of human art." You're probably already familiar with the three crown jewels: the Venus de Milo, the headless and winged Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the enigmatic Mona Lisa. Today, let's focus on two other treasures that also carry the secrets of civilization.

The Code of Hammurabi: A Civilizational Contract Carved in Stone

In the long history of human legal civilization, there's one stone tablet shines with a unique radiance: the Code of Hammurabi. Born in the Babylonian Empire in the 18th century BC, Mesopotamia was experiencing a golden age of development. Under the rule of King Hammurabi, the ancient Babylonian Empire enjoyed political stability and economic prosperity. To maintain social order and combat crime, the Code of Hammurabi was created. It is not only one of the earliest written legal codes in human history but also a brilliant crystallization of ancient Babylonian civilization, embodying the wisdom and pursuit of order of that era.
Today, entering the Louvre, we can have a look at this ancient black basalt stele. It stands like a wise elder, silently telling stories from thoundsand years. The stele is approximately 2.25 meters high, with a top circumference of 1.65 meters and a base circumference of 1.90 meters. Its surface is covered with densely packed cuneiform script; its massive and solemn size inspires awe. On the top of the stele, there's a relief depicting the Babylonian King Hammurabi and the sun god Shamash, which is a symbol signifying that the code's authority derives from divine power, granting it supreme legitimacy. The main text comprises 282 articles, covering all aspects of social life: individual rights, family ethics, property disputes, commercial transactions, and criminal punishments. From trivial matters like lease agreements to death sentences in murder cases, everything is clearly regulated.
Besides shaping the social order of its native Babylon, the Code of Hammurabi has become an enduring cornerstone—casting a long shadow over the development of legal frameworks for centuries to come, its wisdom still resonating in laws far removed from their ancient origins. It provided important references for later legal institutions, and many legal principles and systems can be traced back to it. For instance, the principle of retribution, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," although no longer universally applicable in modern law, reflects early humanity's simple pursuit of fairness and justice and has provided important inspiration for the development of later law. Furthermore, the Code's provisions on contracts, torts, marriage, and family laid the foundation for the improvement and development of later laws.

The Seated Scribe: A Portrait of an "Intellectual Elite" in Ancient Egypt

Also ranking among the artifacts of great archaeological value is the Seated Scribe—a painted limestone sculpture from ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom. This sculpture depicts an ancient Egyptian scribe sitting cross-legged at work. Discovered in 1850 at the Saqqara necropolis in Egypt, it dates back to the Fourth Dynasty, around 2600 BC.
In the ancient Egyptian social system, scribes belonged to the "literati class," wielding administrative powers such as recording, calculating, measuring, inspecting, and judging. They were important pillars of the ancient Egyptian bureaucracy. In an era when over 90% of the population was illiterate, they were among the few professions requiring reading and writing skills, thus enjoying high prestige and generous compensation.
Even more astonishing is the sculpture's exquisite craftsmanship and remarkably well-preserved state. Despite the erosion of thousands of years, this statue still retains its original red pigment. Another striking feature is the statue's eyes, inlaid with crystal, ebony, magnesite (magnesium carbonate), and copper-arsenic alloy. Visitors can even see their own reflection in his smooth eyeballs. This extreme pursuit of detail fully demonstrates the superb level of ancient Egyptian sculptural art.

  1. 2.British Museum

Established: 1753
Location：Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG, Britain
Admission: Free
Opening hours: Daily: 10.00–17.00 (Fridays: 20.30) Last entry: 16.45 (Fridays: 20.15)
The Museum is closed 24–26 December.
Official Website: https://www.britishmuseum.org
The British Museum was established in 1753 and officially opened to the public in 1759. It's the world's first museum accessible to general public. Its initial holdings covered artifacts, coins, badges, natural history specimens, and a huge number of ancient books—their richness and diversity were regarded as unparalleled worldwide even at that time. Today, the number of items in the museum has grown to over 8 million, spanning from stone tools used by early humans to 20th-century prints, and fully covering the developmental trajectories of different cultures across the globe. Sadly, limited exhibition space keeps 99% of the precious collection conserved in storage facilities waiting for their moment to shine before the public eye.

The Eternal Path on Papyrus: The Mysterious Book of the Dead of Ani from Ancient Egypt

Are you also curious about the mysterious resurrection rituals of ancient Egypt? Then the Book of the Dead, created around 1300 BC, is an absolute must-see.
For centuries since the birth of Egyptian archaeology, people have believed that these hieroglyphs found on Egyptian coffins and papyrus are fragments of the ancient Bible. Later, when scholars fully deciphered the hieroglyphs using the Rosetta Stone, they discovered that these characters were spells, magical "roadmaps" for the dead, used to guide the ancient Egyptians safely through the afterlife.
The Book of the Dead was originally reserved for the pharaohs and royalty of ancient Egypt. They inscribed these peculiar incantations on the inner walls of the pyramids, which became known as the Pyramid Inscriptions. During the New Kingdom period, anyone who could afford the Book of the Dead could obtain it, and its form changed to being copied onto papyrus.
The most famous papyrus version of the Book of the Dead is the Book of Ani, now housed in the British Museum.
Discovered in 1887 by collector Flinders Petrie in a tomb on the west bank of the Nile at Thebes (modern-day Luxor), it is the best-preserved and most artistically valuable version among all existing papyrus-based Books of the Dead.
One of the most famous scenes depicted on this papyrus is weighing the deceased's soul. In the image, the soul of the deceased Ani is placed on one side of a scale, while on the other side is a feather from the wing of the goddess of justice, Ma'at.
In ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, the pure soul was considered light, but it became heavy after committing evil deeds. Therefore, those who committed heinous crimes would not pass the judgment of Osiris. When the scales were balanced, it meant the heart was pure and good, and the soul of the deceased would be granted eternal life; conversely, if the scales were unbalanced, the soul would be devoured by the demon Amit, who guarded one side, thus preventing resurrection and reincarnation.
These documents were undoubtedly extremely important to the ancient Egyptians, as they concerned their afterlife. Furthermore, these artifacts reveal core aspects of the ancient Egyptian belief system, becoming one of the most important resources for Egyptologists seeking to understand Egyptian religion and the afterlife.

The Hand of the God: The Arabian Bronze Hand

The Arabian bronze hand originates from ancient Yemen, located in what is now the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, and dates back approximately 1700 years. It reflects the religious beliefs of the Arabian Peninsula at that time.
The bronze hand is right-handed, roughly the size of an adult's palm. Upon closer inspection, you will marvel at the exquisite craftsmanship: the bronze hand is remarkably lifelike, with the distribution of veins, the folds of the joints, and the natural contours of the palm all depicted with remarkable realism.
What is even more striking is that the back of the hand is densely inscribed with ancient Yemeni script.
Research has confirmed that the owner of this bronze hand was Wahhabi Tarab, a nobleman from a city-state in the ancient Kingdom of Yemen. He dedicated this meticulously crafted bronze hand to his deity, Talab al-Rim, in order to seek divine favor and protection. This is undoubtedly valuable material evidence for future generations to study Yemeni religious culture.

  1. 3.State Hermitage Museum (Winter Palace)

Established: 1764
Location：Saint Petersburg, Palace Square, 2
Admission:
General admission: 500 Roubles
Free-of-charge visits each Thursday for pensioners (citizens of the Russian Federation and other states of the Eurasian Economic Union)
For other ticket purchase discounts, please refer to the official website.
Opening hours:
11:00 AM-6:00 PM: Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays
11:00 AM-8:00 PM: Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays
Closed: Mondays, 1 January and 9 May
Official Website: https://www.hermitagemuseum.org/panorama?lng=en
The Hermitage Museum (Winter Palace), located on Palace Square in St. Petersburg, was designed by the renowned architect Rastrelli. Originally the private museum of Empress Catherine II of Russia, housing her collection of paintings and books, it was officially established as the State Hermitage Museum in 1922. The Winter Palace complex includes the main Winter Palace, the Small Hermitage, the Old Hermitage, the New Hermitage, the Hermitage Theatre, and other parts, covering a total area of 233,000 square meters. After the October Revolution, the original Winter Palace was converted into part of the museum. It is an outstanding example of mid-18th-century Russian Neoclassical architecture, boasting over 3 million artifacts, making it the museum with the world's largest collection of paintings (slightly more than the Louvre). Other collections are also very rich, including Russian, Eastern European and Caucasian artifacts, Central Asian and steppe artifacts, weapons, and jewelry.
Representative collections include two Madonna paintings by Leonardo da Vinci from the Renaissance period, Raphael's Madonna Conestabile; Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son; and Matisse's The Dance, all extremely valuable masterpieces. Michelangelo's Crouching Boy, the Gonzaga relief, and the Pazyryk carpet are also worth seeing. Today, we will focus on two distinctly styled yet equally stunning paintings.

The Return of the Prodigal Son: An Epic of Humanity in Light and Darkness

Rembrandt van Rijn, one of Europe’s greatest 17th-century painters and the most celebrated artist in Dutch history, created this renowned work. Art historian Kenneth Clark described it as: “A picture which those who have seen the original in St. Petersburg may be forgiven for claiming as the greatest picture ever painted.” Instead of depicting the entire biblical narrative of the prodigal son, the painting captures the most emotionally charged moment: the wayward son, ragged and dust-covered, kneels before his father in repentance, while the elderly father bends down to embrace him, his eyes filled with compassion and forgiveness.
Employing Rembrandt’s signature “chiaroscuro” technique, the composition uses large areas of dark tones as a profound backdrop, drawing the viewer’s focus firmly to the figures. Each person's expression in the painting tells something, and we, the viewers, also will interpret them differently. This work is not only an artistic interpretation of a religious story, but also a profound exploration of the essence of family, redemption, and humanity, and is worth repeated appreciation of its details.

The Dance and Music: Pioneers of the Color Revolution

When discussing color innovation in modern art, the French artist Henri Matisse is undoubtedly an indispensable figure. With his bold and unrestrained use of color, he broke through the constraints of traditional art, propelling art further towards modernization. His works Dance and *Music*, housed in the Hermitage Museum, are representative of his transitional period, not only representing Matisse's first attempts at architectural decoration but also marking his shift from Impressionism to modern abstraction.
These two paintings, similar in size and stylistically unified, embody Matisse's bold exploration of color and form in his later Fauvist period. Dance depicts silhouettes of five dancers, outlined with fluid and simple lines, holding hands in a circle, their limbs outstretched, displaying boundless vitality. The painting lacks a complex background and colors, using only three pure colors: red, green, and blue. The high-saturation color contrast and the dynamic, expansive composition convey a primal and unrestrained life force. In contrast, Music presents the power of color in a more restrained way: the painting depicts five figures, from left to right, one standing and four sitting. The figure standing on the far left is playing the violin, almost filling the entire canvas. To his right is a seated person playing a double-reed flute, followed by three people squatting on the ground with their knees drawn up and mouths open, seemingly singing. The lines connecting these five figures form a composition resembling the capital letter M, the first letter of "Music," hinting at the painting's theme. Viewing Matisse's work, the viewer seems to be immersed in the balanced and serene atmosphere created by vibrant colors and flowing lines.

  1. 4.Metropolitan Museum of Art

Established: 1870
Location：1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
Admission:
$30 for adults; $22 for seniors; $17 for students.
Free for Members, Patrons, and children 12 and under.
$22 for visitors with a disability; free for a caregiver of a visitor with a disability (in person only).
Opening hours:
10:00 AM-5:00 PM: Sunday to Tuesday and Thursday
10:00 AM-9:00 PM: Friday and Saturday
Closed: Wednesday
Public holidays: Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, January 1, and the first Monday in May.
Official Website: https://www.metmuseum.org/
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Metropolitan Museum of Art) is the largest museum in the United States and a must-see art mecca for almost every visitor to New York City. Founded in 1870 by the New York State Legislature to encourage and develop the application of art in production and daily life and to enhance public cultural literacy, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection primarily comes from acquisitions and donations from various sectors of society, encompassing a wide range of artworks from around the world, including some important interior design works in art history.
Among the world's four major museum clusters, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the youngest, and its operational model and exhibition layout are subtly ingenious. As early as 1908, it pioneered the establishment of the world's first museum gift shop, initiating the development of museum cultural products. Even more commendable is the way the spatial design of different exhibition halls often echoes their exhibition themes; for example, the Chinese art gallery features a specially designed Chinese garden courtyard, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in and directly experience the charm of Eastern aesthetics. Among the many exhibition areas, the Egyptian Antiquities section consistently maintains high popularity, with the Temple of Dendur from ancient Egypt being the most dazzling highlight.

Dendur Temple: A Gift from Ancient Egypt Across the Ocean

This temple's history isn't as long as other ancient Egyptian artifacts. It was only built around 10 BC, when Egypt was under Roman rule. Where was it located? At the Aswan High Dam in what is now southern Egypt. In 1963, the construction of the dam caused the lake to rise, threatening to submerge upstream and nearby artifacts. The United States initiated a series of relocation efforts to help Egypt move and relocate its artifacts. In gratitude for this transnational friendship, Egypt gifted this small temple to the United States.
In ancient Egyptian culture, temples were not merely simple places of worship; their design and decoration carried various religious and mythological metaphors. Dendur Temple is a vivid example of this cultural logic. It replicates the ancient Egyptians' understanding of the natural order through its architectural language: the temple's base is lined with carvings of papyrus and lotus plants, seemingly growing from the water, symbolizing the image of Hapi, the Nile god. The two pillars in the portico stand tall, like tall papyrus stalks bundled with lotus flowers. Above the main gate and temple entrance is an image of a sun disk, flanked by the outstretched wings of Horus, the god of the sky. The sky is also represented by a vulture with outstretched wings appearing on the ceiling of the entrance porch. Every detail subtly reveals the ancient Egyptians' cosmology, making it a veritable three-dimensional mythological text.

The Medicine Buddha Sutra: A Treasured Oriental Art Treasure Through a Long and Winding Journey

This massive mural, the Medicine Buddha Sutra, comes from the Lower Guangsheng Temple in Hongdong County, Shanxi Province, China. It is a masterpiece of Yuan Dynasty murals, over 700 years old. The exhibit we see today is the original piece that was peeled off the walls of the Lower Guangsheng Temple.
The mural's transnational journey was fraught with difficulties. In the 1920s, China was in turmoil, warlords were ruling, and the people suffered greatly. The Guangsheng Temple fell into disrepair, and the monks had no money to support themselves or maintain the temple. In 1929, the monks sold the Medicine Buddha Sutra mural to two American businessmen for 1600 silver dollars, barely managing to keep the temple afloat. After changing hands several times, the mural eventually reached the United States, where it was acquired by an American dentist. This dentist was Arthur Sackler, a renowned American collector of Chinese art in the 1960s. He purchased several wooden crates containing fragments of the mural at an auction. Sackler was a passionate collector of Chinese artifacts and possessed a large collection of rare Chinese treasures. Because the mural was too large to store or display at home, in 1964, Sackler, in his mother's name, donated it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, bringing it back into the public eye.
The mural, titled "The Medicine Buddha Sutra," was broken into hundreds of pieces when it was sold. The Metropolitan Museum of Art meticulously restored it to its original state and placed it in the largest gallery of its Chinese collection, quickly making it one of the museum's most famous Chinese art pieces. This "Medicine Buddha Sutra" mural is 15.2 meters long and 7.52 meters high, with vibrant colors and a total area of 196 square meters. Even in China, it is rare to see a Yuan Dynasty mural restored to such a complete state. This provides a precious opportunity for global audiences to appreciate the essence of ancient Chinese mural art up close.
Seeing is believing. After reading these words, have you already felt a longing for a particular artifact? However, this is just the tip of the iceberg of the vast collections of the four major museums. Each artifact is a witness to historical changes. When we gaze at these treasures, we are not only appreciating art, but also engaging in a dialogue with a civilization from thousands of years ago. If you have the opportunity to embark on a journey, you must stand in front of the display case and encounter them in person. The awe and joy of this firsthand experience far surpasses what words and pictures can provide.