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RMN-Grand Palais

This 1735 painting by Jean-François de Troy shows the French aristocratic craze for Champagne and oyster dinners.

The inner wall of the pteron was decorated with a frieze of chariot races. Two bas-relief series adorned the quadrangular structure below the pteron: one showing battle scenes between Greeks and Persians, the other shown here depicting an Amazonomachy, a battle between heroes and Amazons. Both the Amazonomachy and the Centauromachy scenes alluded to Mausolus’ victories over his enemies, but they also symbolized the triumph of order over chaos. While the victorious Greek heroes stood for civilization, the defeated Amazons and Centaurs represented all that was unnatural.

Beneath the chariot sculpture was a frieze depicting the Centauromachy, a fight between Centaurs and Lapiths, legendary beings in Greek mythology. Their battle represented the human struggle between bestial urges and civilized behavior.

Plans for the 13th-century structure in Normandy, France, show its ambitious height.

Reims Cathedral is shown in a 13th-century entry in the sketchbook of French architect Villard de Honnecourt.

A Neo-Assyrian circular tablet showing the constellations, from between the tenth to seventh centuries B.C., was found at the library built by Ashurbanipal in Nineveh.

Secret salons called casinos were apartments where the elite gathered during the 18th century, especially in Venice, as depicted in this painting by Pietro Longhi. Although forbidden, gambling was common. Here, most of the men and two women wear the Venetian white mask, while two other women wear oval vizards.

A 17th-century painting by Wenceslaus Hollar shows an English woman dressed in warm winter attire and accessorized with a black mask.

A French loup from the 17th century is now at the National Museum of the Renaissance in Écouen, France.

Nestor, the king of Pylos, is portrayed on a fifth-century B.C. amphora.