To prevent the looting of the Louvre’s collections by Nazi Germany, the director of the national museums, Jacques Jaujard, implemented an evacuation plan. As soon as war was declared in 1939, he closed the museum. In the basement, he had the most precious works of art, such as the ‘Venus of Milo’, the ‘Mona Lisa’ and the ‘Crouching Scribe’, packed in the greatest secrecy. The paintings and statues were then transported to the Château de Chambord. In June-July 1940, he supervised the removal of almost 4,000 pieces to various locations in the free zone. It was only after the German capitulation that the works were returned to the Louvre.