I've always agreed with Voltaire, who described the Chateau de Versailles as "a masterpiece of bad taste and magnificence", especially about the "masterpiece" bit. The 700-room palace (along with its 2,000-acre grounds) is known and treasured (if not adored) world-wide. It was cheering, then, to read in the Guardian Unlimited that a very costly, multi-phased, twenty-year restoration project is commencing on this historic landmark. In the spirit of first things first, an ancient boiler (which threatens, when fired, to blow the whole place off the map) will be replaced. Excellent news, indeed, for the estimated 10 million yearly visitors!

Today in Art History:

• The Louvre opened as a public museum in 1793