In 1678, Louis XIV commissioned the Hall of Mirrors from Jules Hardouin-Mansart. The ornamentation is on a monumental scale: 17 windows, 17 mirror-ornamented arches, 8 busts of Roman Emperors, 8 statues of ancient divinities and a vaulted ceiling composed of 30 paintings.

The vault is a masterpiece by Charles Le Brun, illustrating the history of the first 18 years of Louis XIV’s reign. The Hall of Mirrors is both a concourse, a reception room and a place of royal splendour.

Louis XIV brought together at Versailles more than 100 vases in rare ornamental stone, of which the majority were in porphyry. In order to decorate the great space of the Hall of Mirrors, porphyry vases were ordered directly from the stone-cutting workshops in Rome.

In 1685, the production of antique vases in yellow marble was entrusted to Giovanni-Antonio Tedeschi. The twists that adorn their bellies are inspired by the usual decoration found on porphyry vases but the delicacy of their sculpting reflects the fine grain of the marble.

The Alliance of Germany and Spain with Holland, 1672, Charles Le Brun. Weapons are being forged on the left while troops are preparing on the right. Fleeing blacksmiths and scattered weapons may be seen in the symmetrical composition at the other end of the gallery.

The Dutch Republic accepts peace and breaks away from Germany and Spain, 1678, Charles le Brun. The two paintings at either end of the hall are linked: one shows the union of France’s enemy powers, while the other shows their disunity.

This painting was “the principal key to everything”. The King is in the centre, seated on his throne, holding the “tiller of the state” in his right hand. The three Graces around him symbolise the talents that Heaven has granted him.

In the 18th century, the word "prosperity" was used instead of "pride" but the original meaning of the composition was then lost: it was the pride of the Empire, Spain and Holland that justified France going to war.

In 1686, Versailles had an unprecedented visit from the ambassadors of Siam, now Thailand. On this extraordinary occasion, the Hall of Mirrors was adorned with sumptuous silver furnishings, which have since disappeared.

The courtiers stood on either side of the hall to welcome the ambassador of Siam and his suite. Once they had walked through the Hall of Mirrors, the ambassador and his party came to the nine steps at the top of which sat the Sun King on his solid silver throne.

Place of the silver throne during the reception of the Siamese embassy.

To see the reception of the Embassy of Siam in 1686 for yourself, take a look on Steam! Travel through time with “Experience Versailles”, a free virtual reality immersion in history.

28 June 1919. After four years of terrible war, the Treaty of Versailles brought an end to the first global conflict in history, in the Hall of Mirrors. For the occasion, 24 carpets were borrowed from the Mobilier National and laid out on the waxed floorboards.

In the centre was a long horseshoe-shaped table and some 200 chairs. Opposite, sitting symbolically under the painting “The King Governs by Himself”, was a Louis XV bureau, on which sat the Treaty, waiting to be signed.

Place where the Louis XV desk was put for all diplomatic stakeholder to sign the peace Treaty.

Years of careful craft go into the creation of Bonsai trees - the miniature, living artworks that mimic the shape of full-size trees. In fact, bonsai has been practised in Japan for over 1000 years, becoming one of the most highly appreciated arts.

Bonsai developed from the classical Chinese art of Penjing, or the creation of miniature landscapes. Both these art forms provide entertainment for their creators and objects of contemplation for their viewers.

Bonsai trees of varying sizes and styles have been used to decorate livings rooms, studies, gardens, and palaces. They're held on a par with calligraphy, paintings, and classical music. But how exactly do you train a pear, or a peach, or a pine tree to grow barely two feet tall?

The process begins with a suitable source; usually a cutting or small sapling of any woody-stemmed perennial. The most popular are fruit and pine trees native to the landscape of Japan: peaches, apples, elms, juniper, conifer, and spruce.

The key to stunting the plant's growth is a small pot, often with only a few centimetres of soil. The roots and leaves of the plant are trimmed with great care, and over time the tree adapts to its tiny home.

It's not just about creating any old small plant, though. Bonsai requires a keen eye and a sense of aesthetics. The aim is to create a pleasing scene in which the artist's intervention is hidden. It should appear entirely natural, even if it's in miniature form.

Ingenious tricks are used to create the impression of gnarled, twisted trunks, as in this tree. Copper wires and clamps can guide branches and pin them in place, all in order to create a convincing impression of an aged tree.

After years of growth, the result is a beautiful living sculpture. Treated well, bonsai trees can live to be just as old as full-size trees. In fact, there are a handful of trees that are proven to be almost 1000 years old.

Just as certain paintings and sculptures are internationally famous, so are some bonsai trees. This tree is named Higurashi, or 'Daily Life'. It exemplifies the koshoku, or 'aged patina' style. At over 450 years old, it is considered to be the finest bonsai tree in Japan.

There are various names for the different shapes of bonsai trees. Fukinagashi, 'Wind Blown', suggests a trunk leaning over as if being blown by a strong wind, as seen in this bonsai pinus parviflora.

The white areas of dead wood are known as shari, literally, 'relics'. The degree of shari is one of the central concerns of bonsai connoisseurship. This tree, named Uzushio, 'Swirling Tide', is a particularly prized example.

High in the arctic circle, Quttinirpaaq National Park on Ellesmere Island, Canada is one of the most remote parks on earth, it sees only around 50 visitors a year. The park takes its name from the Inuktitut language, Quttinirpaaq means 'top of the world'.

Ittoqqortoormiit was founded in 1925 by Ejnar Mikkelsen and 80 other Inuit settlers on Liverpool Land, east of Hurry Inlet, in northeastern Greenland. Today, about 450 people live here and it remains one of the most remote settlements on Earth.

Even further north is Longyearbyen on the island of Svalbard. In fact, this is the most northerly settlement on the planet. This mining town was totally destroyed during the Second World War and had to be rebuilt from scratch.

At the other end of the planet is the island of South Georgia. Lying in the South Atlantic Ocean, about 1300km from the Falkland Islands. There is no permanent population, and no regular transport, only a team of around 30 scientists and the occasional tourist party.

This Chilean village is one of only two civilian residential settlements on the continent - the others being temporary military or research stations. The village post office serves all Chilean bases on the continent, and its stamps are popular with collectors.

Finally, somewhere a little warmer. Easter Island is one of the most isolated islands on the planet, its nearest neighbours are are the small Juan Fernandez Islands, found 1,850km east. Despite this, Easter Island was once home to a flourishing civilisation.

This distant peak is famously the highest point on Earth above sea level. The world has changed a lot since it was first scaled in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, today it's less of an obstacle and more of an attraction.

At the other end of the scale, the lowest point on Earth below sea level is... a sea. The shoreline of the Dead Sea is about 400 metres below the level of the Mediterranean, and as the landlocked sea evaporates, it gets lower every year.

This humble metal stake, sign, and flag mark the most southerly point on Earth - from here, everywhere is north. Roald Amundsen's expedition team reached this point on 14 December, 1911, only a few weeks before the doomed expedition of Robert Falcon Scott.