Louvre masterpieces damaged in storm

Several masterpieces in the Louvre were among the victims of the July 9 storms in Paris, the museum has confirmed.

Water damage caused by the storm was discovered on two of the works that make up Nicolas Poussin's Four Seasons in the Sept-Cheminées room, while The Triumph of Mordecai by Jean-François de Troy was also affected.

Works by 17th-century French artists Georges de La Tour and Eustache Le Sueur, which were on display in another room, have been taken down for the same reason.

The works have been removed 'as a precaution', while restorers examine the pieces to establish the scale of the damage, museum officials said on Friday, five days after the storm.

A number of rooms in the museum were closed to the public the day after the storm, including the mezzanine of the Denon wing, the first floor of the Sully wing and the second floor of the Court Square.

Nearly 50mm of rain fell in an hour as severe thunderstorms swept across Paris late on Sunday, July 9. Several Metro stations were flooded, and while most reopened on Monday, many commuters found their journey to work was affected. The fire brigade said it received 1,700 emergency calls during the night.