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This superb collection ranges from the 14th century to 1848 and includes works by such artists as Jean Watteau, Georges de la Tour and JH Fragonard.

Highlights include the Tomb of Philippe Pot by Antoine le Moiturier, the Marly Horses and the works by Pierre Puget in the glass-covered courtyards.

The finest collection outside Cairo, featuring a Sphinx in the crypt, the Seated Scribe of Sakkara, huge sarcophagi, mummified animals, funerary objects and intricate carvings depicting everyday life in Ancient Egypt.

The wondrous art of Ancient Greece here ranges from a Cycladic idol from the third millennium BC to Classical Greek marble statues (c.5th century BC) to Hellenistic works (late 3rd–2nd century BC).

A stunning collection includes a re-created temple of an Assyrian king and the Codex of Hammurabi (18th century BC), mankind’s oldest written laws.

French royalty adored the art of Italy and amassed much of this large collection (1200–1800). There are many works by da Vinci as well as the Mona Lisa .

Highlights of this collection, dating from the early Renaissance, include a 15th-century Madonna and Child by Donatello and Michelangelo’s Slaves (see Slaves).

Rembrandt works take pride of place in this section, along with domestic scenes by Vermeer and portraits by Frans Hals.

This collection of ceramics, jewellery and other items spans many countries and centuries.

An exquisite collection ranging from a 7th-century silver dish to treasures from the Ottoman Empire (14th–19th centuries).