Leonardo da Vinci, Antoine Watteau, Johannes Vermeer, Michelangelo and Toshiba - just some of the notable names whose work lights up the Louvre in Paris.

Yes, Toshiba - you read that correctly. The Japanese company has just announced that it is literally lighting up the famous Musée du Louvre, after completing the first stage of its renewal of the external lighting at the site.

The renovation has meant an end to the energy sapping, xenon lighting that was in place, and an introduction of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly LEDs.

Obviously, Toshiba is one of the key players in the LED arena and the French museum has called upon its expertise to modernise the museum. In total, Toshiba will supply a total of 3,200 LED light fittings to replace 4,500 xenon light fittings, cutting the annual power consumption for the exterior lighting by 73 per cent, from 392,000 to 105,000 watts.

Built on the grounds of a fortress built in the late 12th century under Philip II, the building was once the residence of Louis XIV and has been a museum, and home of some of the world's most valuable artwork, for over 200 years.

Toshiba's lighting plans extend to the more famous areas of the former palace, including the Pyramid, the three pyramidions and the Colbert pavilion. The first lights will be switched on, on 6 December.