Support of the Department of Asian Antiquities
American Friends of the Louvre is supporting a series of significant restoration projects and publications in the museum’s Department of Near Eastern Antiquities. These projects, led by François Bridey, Curator of Ancient Iran and Deputy Director of the Department, highlights AFL’s ongoing commitment to preserving the Louvre’s exceptional collections.
Among the projects supported are the restoration of two monumental paintings by Jules-Georges Bondoux, returning these striking works to their original brilliance and ensuring they will be appreciated for generations to come. The excavation notebooks of Roland de Mecquenem (1877–1957), the distinguished archaeologist who directed the French excavations at Susa, Iran, from 1912 to 1939, will also be restored. These documents shed new light on one of the most important archaeological sites in the ancient Near East.
Additional support has been dedicated to the restoration of painted ceramics from the Necropolis of Susa, vital artifacts that reveal the rich cultural and artistic traditions of ancient Iran. Alongside the restoration of these works, a publication of research on a monumental stele of Shilhak-Inshushinak, an exceptional work that deepens our understanding of Elamite civilization, will be published.