The Louvre puts a dose of augmented reality in its Egyptian collections

The Luxor Obelisk stands in the center of the Cour Carrée of the Louvre. However, the granite monolith has not left Place de la Concorde. But through their mobile phones, visitors can discover this unique installation which owes everything to virtual reality. The principle is now well known: by pointing the lens in a specific space, anyone can discover objects that overlap with reality. This is augmented reality, according to the established expression, a technology already well established in the video game or tourism sectors but which is gradually gaining ground in venerable institutions such as museums.

At the Louvre, the department of Egyptian Antiquities is at the heart of the partnership signed between the museum and the social network Snapchat. Three immersive experiences are now offered to the public. The objective: “to deepen the discovery of the works”, according to Donatien Bozon, director of the AR Studio, the Parisian branch of Snapchat which intends to promote and develop augmented reality.

Head towards the Naos of Amasis, leaving aside the great sphinx of Tanis which welcomes visitors and the galleries and rooms dedicated to the customs of ancient Egypt. The pink granite structure, two meters and fifty high and more than one meter and fifty wide, weighs more than 8,000 kilos. On each of its faces, we can see bas-reliefs which adorn the bare stone: gods and processions, all accompanied by hieroglyphs.

The cartel explains that the naos is a chapel which once housed the effigy of the god Osiris. It now presents a QR Code. By scanning it with your phone, the application opens. All you have to do is simply point your camera in the direction of the structure and contemplate. The faded bas-reliefs on the four faces of the Naos stand out from the stone and are displayed brilliantly. The statue of the god, who received daily offerings during Ancient Egypt, appears behind the wooden doors, which have now disappeared, which closed the chapel. Virtual labels are superimposed on the work to draw attention to a detail or explain a character.

“All these animations were created with the help of scientists in order to reproduce the materials and colors of the works identically as at the time,” explains Donatien Bozon.

Second experience with the House of Ancestors, the function room of the Jubilee Temple of Karnak. With augmented reality, the work is adorned with lively and luminous pigments and pays homage to the dynasties of kings who preceded Pharaoh Thutmose III on the throne of Egypt. Visitors can also point their phone screen in the direction of the Dendera Zodiac, a bas-relief that represents the sky and its constellations. On the phone, the ceiling is displayed in three dimensions.

And for the obelisk planted in the middle of the Cour Carrée: what does this have to do with the historical reconstruction? Well, you should know that Jean-François Champollion had intended to erect it in this precise location. After a tumultuous journey, Viceroy Méhémet Ali II's gift to France from Charles X was finally installed on what is now Place de la Concorde in 1836.

Is the device gadget or communication operation? Laurence des Cars denies this. “New technologies can support the Louvre in its missions so that it remains a place where we are surprised, where we learn to see and where we transmit knowledge differently,” believes the president of the museum.

The Louvre is not the first institution to be interested in the technology developed by Snapchat. The National Library of France in 2022 and the Center Pompidou at the start of the year lent themselves to such an experience. Augmented Egypt at the Louvre Museum is available for one year. As for curious people who cannot go to Paris, they can always disguise themselves using a funeral mask created in 3D in the application. A filter that Snapchat ensures is faithful to the models exhibited at the Louvre.