If you look carefully at this painting you can see that a smart-looking dinner party has descended into a riot. Chairs have been overturned, a lady looks as if she is standing on the furniture and there is a writhing mass of people in the background who seem to be generally behaving badly. In the centre is a man drinking from a glass while a lady leans back into his lap. Can you imagine what a noise this scene would make if you could hear it? In the background the walls of the palace and a serene marble sculpture bear witness to the scene.

This watercolour is by a French artist called Eugène Lami. He has painted a scene from before he was alive showing the court of Philippe, duc d'Orléans. Philippe was Regent (acting King) of France from 1715 to 1723. At this time Louis XV was true king of France but he was only 5 years old in 1715. Therefore Philippe, his great-uncle, ruled on his behalf. It is said that Philippe was incredibly indulgent and lived to excess.

Lami has painted this picture as an impression of what he thought this period was like. He painted several pictures for a later king, King Louis-Philippe. If you look in the top right hand corner of the painting, you can see an illuminated cloud with the date 1793. 1793 was the year of Louis XVI's execution after the French Revolution and this painting serves as a reminder that excess can lead to downfall.