Grand Ballroom Set for a Banquet

A long banquet table runs the length of a gilded hall, dressed in lace-edged linen and laid with painted plates, cut-glass decanters of amber wine, goblets and gold cutlery. Tiered stands hold macarons in pink, green, yellow and orange, flanked by silver bowls of pomegranates, grapes and berries and a tall arrangement of roses. The floor is inlaid marble in green, cream and oxblood geometry, running back past a second buffet toward arched glass doors hung with violet drapes. Woven tapestries of castles, gardens and flowering vines cover the walls between gilt mouldings, and the coffered ceiling carries cherubs and painted garlands beneath two crystal chandeliers. On a low platform at the left stand a grand piano with its music open, a gilded harp, a cello and violins on chairs, a flute laid across the boards. The inlaid floor panels give the room a grid of its own.