Grandeur and enchantment radiate from Jean Béraud’s “The Lobby of the Paris Opera,” painted during the glory days of the city’s Belle Époque. Aided by the invention of photography, Béraud (1849 – 1935) used his meticulous detailing to elegantly replicate the opera house’s lavish décor. The Paris Opera, considered an architectural masterpiece of its era, was constructed by order of Napoleon III. An immense 118,404 sq. ft., the building has a stage with room for 450 performers, and a 6-ton chandelier hangs in its luxurious interior.