In 1678, Louis XIV commissioned the Hall of Mirrors from Jules Hardouin-Mansart. The ornamentation is on a monumental scale: 17 windows, 17 mirror-ornamented arches, 8 busts of Roman Emperors, 8 statues of ancient divinities and a vaulted ceiling composed of 30 paintings.

The vault is a masterpiece by Charles Le Brun, illustrating the history of the first 18 years of Louis XIV’s reign. The Hall of Mirrors is both a concourse, a reception room and a place of royal splendour.

Louis XIV brought together at Versailles more than 100 vases in rare ornamental stone, of which the majority were in porphyry. In order to decorate the great space of the Hall of Mirrors, porphyry vases were ordered directly from the stone-cutting workshops in Rome.

In 1685, the production of antique vases in yellow marble was entrusted to Giovanni-Antonio Tedeschi. The twists that adorn their bellies are inspired by the usual decoration found on porphyry vases but the delicacy of their sculpting reflects the fine grain of the marble.

The Alliance of Germany and Spain with Holland, 1672, Charles Le Brun. Weapons are being forged on the left while troops are preparing on the right. Fleeing blacksmiths and scattered weapons may be seen in the symmetrical composition at the other end of the gallery.

The Dutch Republic accepts peace and breaks away from Germany and Spain, 1678, Charles le Brun. The two paintings at either end of the hall are linked: one shows the union of France’s enemy powers, while the other shows their disunity.

This painting was “the principal key to everything”. The King is in the centre, seated on his throne, holding the “tiller of the state” in his right hand. The three Graces around him symbolise the talents that Heaven has granted him.

In the 18th century, the word "prosperity" was used instead of "pride" but the original meaning of the composition was then lost: it was the pride of the Empire, Spain and Holland that justified France going to war.

In 1686, Versailles had an unprecedented visit from the ambassadors of Siam, now Thailand. On this extraordinary occasion, the Hall of Mirrors was adorned with sumptuous silver furnishings, which have since disappeared.

The courtiers stood on either side of the hall to welcome the ambassador of Siam and his suite. Once they had walked through the Hall of Mirrors, the ambassador and his party came to the nine steps at the top of which sat the Sun King on his solid silver throne.

Place of the silver throne during the reception of the Siamese embassy.

To see the reception of the Embassy of Siam in 1686 for yourself, take a look on Steam! Travel through time with “Experience Versailles”, a free virtual reality immersion in history.

28 June 1919. After four years of terrible war, the Treaty of Versailles brought an end to the first global conflict in history, in the Hall of Mirrors. For the occasion, 24 carpets were borrowed from the Mobilier National and laid out on the waxed floorboards.

In the centre was a long horseshoe-shaped table and some 200 chairs. Opposite, sitting symbolically under the painting “The King Governs by Himself”, was a Louis XV bureau, on which sat the Treaty, waiting to be signed.

Place where the Louis XV desk was put for all diplomatic stakeholder to sign the peace Treaty.

On the banks of the Ayeyarwady River lies Bagan, Myanmar’s first capital. During its rule from the 9th to the 13th century, more than 10,000 religious monuments were built across 100 square kilometers.    

Although it’s often described as an archaeological site, it is still an active place of worship for the Buddhist community.  

The Eim ya kyaung Temple is one of only sixteen identified temples in Bagan that have a pentagonal shape. 

Pan around to see the view from its roof.  

As well as having five sides, the temple contains five statues of the buddha.

Over time Eim ya kyaung Temple has been heavily damaged, most recently by an earthquake in 2016 that caused significant damage to its exterior. Very few of the murals inside it are still intact.  

CyArk and partners used LiDAR laser scanning and both aerial and terrestrial photogrammetry to document the monument.   

It is said that ‘every painter paints himself’. In most cases, this comes in the form of a standard self portrait, such as this iconic image of Van Gogh (who liked to paint himself more than most). For others, it wasn’t quite so easy, fashionable, or desirable to create a self portrait. But that didn’t always stop them.

Some artists hide a self portrait in paintings focused around other themes. Artists sneaking in their own image in a crowd scene, in the background, or even hidden in other details is more common than you might think.

Below we have four examples of paintings where artists have hidden themselves. Take a close look at these pictures and see if you can spot them.

Clara Peeters was among the most talented still-life artists of her day. At first glance, this 1615 picture has no visible human figures. A humble display of dairy products with bread, it seems to be nothing more than a classic Dutch still life painting from the era. But can you spot the artist?

Look closely in the reflection of the ceramic goblet's pewter lid and you can see a small self-portrait, distorted by the curve.

The artist also ‘carved’ her name into the butter knife instead of signing the painting.

Napoleon commissioned David to paint his 1804 coronation in a huge work that sent a strong political message. Today, the artwork hangs in the Louvre's Great Hall. It's so big the people appear life-size. But can you spot the artist in the crowd?

He sits in the theater box in the back center of the composition, sketching the scene in his notebook (a big clue as to his identity). David was present at the actual coronation and his inclusion in the final version shows his allegiance to the crown.

Painted between 1536 and 1541, the Renaissance master was able to express his frustration while painting The Last Judgment fresco. Apparently, he loathed the commission to paint the Sistine Chapel and used this opportunity to have a little dig at his patron, the Pope. But can you see him?

In the center of the painting, Michelangelo's eyeless face and an empty suit of flagellated skin hang from Saint Bartholomew's hand. The figure is supposed to be waiting to discover if he is off to heaven or hell after a gruelling trial of faith, a reflection of the artist's own feelings about the commission.

Botticelli's Adoration of the Magi, painted circa 1475, depicts the three wise men visiting the baby Jesus. It was common in Renaissance Italy to portray members of important Florentine families as the magi. In this instance it is members of the wealthy Medici family. But the artist also managed to sneak himself into the scene. Can you spot him?

Standing at the far right in a brown robe, Botticelli has painted himself as one of only two figures in the painting looking directly at the viewer.