Hidden Treasures by Category

Timepieces (Throughout Richelieu Wing)

Clocks that do more than tell time: - Astronomical clocks showing planetary movement - Automaton clocks with moving figures - Revolutionary decimal time experiments - Watches smaller than thumbnails - Clock-organs playing hourly concerts

Ceramics and Porcelain (Rooms 520-525)

From everyday to extraordinary: - Sèvres porcelain in impossible colors - Chinese pieces that influenced European design - Revolutionary plates with political slogans - Royal services with hundreds of pieces - Technical innovations in glazing

Snuffboxes and Miniatures (Room 700)

Luxury in tiny packages: - Portraits of loved ones in lockets - Snuffboxes worth more than houses - Secret compartments for love notes - Microscopic paintings requiring magnification - Personal items revealing private lives

Scientific Instruments (Rooms 531-532)

Where art meets science: - Globes more beautiful than accurate - Microscopes adorned like jewelry - Astronomical instruments as sculpture - Mathematical tools in precious metals - Maps as decorative art