In the early 2010s, two ornate chairs said to have once belonged on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles appeared on the French antiques market.
Thought to be the most expensive chairs made for the last queen of France, Marie Antoinette, they were stamped with the seal of Nicolas-Quinibert Foliot, a celebrated menuisier – or carpenter – who worked in Paris in the 1700s.
A significant find, the pair were declared "national treasures" by the French government in 2013, at the request of Versailles.
The palace, which displays such items in its vast museum collection, expressed an interest in buying the chairs but the price was deemed too dear.
They were instead sold to Qatari Prince Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani for an eye-watering €2m (£1.67m).
