NARRATOR: Internationalism. Excess. Infamy.

WOLF BURCHARD: This platform is dedicated to the regency era, which is the very beginning of the 19th century in Britain.

NARRATOR: How do you sum up this period of palace intrigue and unapologetic glamour, flashy colors and contrasts? You can start by looking at this marble bust of the Duke of Wellington, depicted here in the style of a Roman hero. The Met's Wolf Burchard:

WOLF BURCHARD: The Duke of Wellington… was a key figure in the reorganization of Europe in the aftermath of the downfall of Napoleon… He is a man who stepped from the Age of Enlightenment into that of the Industrialization.

NARRATOR: Political turmoil in France flooded England with luxurious items from aristocratic homes, including the Palace of Versailles. Some were even stripped for parts—For example, the huge cabinet on this platform is made of wood panels inlaid with hardstones, (or "Pietra Dura" in Italian), that have been carefully cut into shapes.

WOLF BURCHARD: These fruits and flowers are salvaged from often older pieces of furniture and reintroduced into new pieces.

NARRATOR: Speaking of new: Napoleon had been at the forefront of excavating ancient Egypt, which launched a showy craze–Egyptomania–that gripped French design at the beginning of the 19th century. Notice the glittering, golden candelabra.

WOLF BURCHARD: On top of the cabinet, we have these very beautiful, large candelabra that are in that Egyptomania style. And then on the right you have this beautiful, beautiful bench, a so-called Egyptian bench designed by Thomas Hope.

When you look at it very closely, you have a remarkable contrast between the burnished surface of the gilded wood and the very deep coral wool fragment we found on this bench.

NARRATOR: The Met’s conservation team did scientific analysis of that small fragment of coral-colored wool. Their discoveries led to choosing the similar upholstery that you see today.