France - Paris - Gold leaf Versaille Palace gates

The golden gates of the Palace of Versaille, near Paris. Replicas of the original 80m wrought iron and gold leaf gates grace the entrance to Louix XVI's former power base. A total of 100,000 gold leaves were crafted into the shapes of fleur de lys, crowns, masks of Apollo, cornucopias and the crossed capital Ls representing the Sun King. Private donors contributed £4 million to rebuild the 15-ton work, and a plethora of historians and top craftsmen - sculptors, gilders, wrought iron craftsmen and ornament makers - were drafted in to ensure an exact replica of the original built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart in the 1680s.

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The golden gates of the Palace of Versaille, near Paris. Replicas of the original 80m wrought iron and gold leaf gates grace the entrance to Louix XVI's former power base. A total of 100,000 gold leaves were crafted into the shapes of fleur de lys, crowns, masks of Apollo, cornucopias and the crossed capital Ls representing the Sun King. Private donors contributed £4 million to rebuild the 15-ton work, and a plethora of historians and top craftsmen - sculptors, gilders, wrought iron craftsmen and ornament makers - were drafted in to ensure an exact replica of the original built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart in the 1680s.