Portraiture, designed to capture people’s likenesses, is an artistic genre with an extensive history dating to ancient times.

This exhibition, made up of approximately 110 works selected from all eight departments of the Louvre, sheds light on the social role of portraits and various characteristics of the form of Art.

From Venetian master Veronese’s unparalleled La Bella Nani, making its first visit to Japan in 27 years, to a mask used to decorate an ancient Egyptian coffin, pictures of monarchs such as Roman emperors and Napoleon, and paintings of gorgeous women and charming children, the exhibition assembles a wealth of highly accomplished portraiture.