Under the Second Republic, Félix Duban set about providing the Salon Square and the Salle des Sept Fireplaces (Hall of Seven Chimneys) with grand monumental decorations based on the idea that the richness of the works required a worthy setting. Preference was given to overhead lighting, and monumental figures by the sculptors Simart and Duret graced the arches. Hector Lefuel was also responsible for producing large decorative elements, in a shorter space of time, particularly in the southern portion of the “New Louvre” (now the Denon area). The large rooms at ground level, devoted to sculpture, played on the richness of the marble floor and the elegant interplay of the stonework’s cutting lines.