Palais d'Orsay

The Palais d'Orsay began as a grand administrative building meant to house the French Council of State and the Court of Audit. Construction spanned nearly three decades, from eighteen ten to eighteen thirty-eight, because of frequent delays during the shifting political regimes of the nineteenth century. It featured an ornate interior, most notably a grand staircase decorated with frescoes by the artist Théodore Chassériau that depicted themes of peace and commerce.