Which one of us has not been left awestruck as we crossed the threshold of the Grand Foyer of Palais Garnier for the first time?

Vendôme Circle founder Douglas Arthur Pierce takes us on a visual tour of one of his favourite buildings in Paris. All photos shot by him on film.

As we peer into the Grand Foyer, the scene seems almost unreal: the muted colours of the draping and the dramatic framing of Félix-Joseph Barrias's painting of 'La musique amoureuse.'