Â鶹APP

Petit Trianon, photo by BECARD.

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Petit Trianon

The Petit Trianon is a château and museum located Â鶹APP, France, on the grounds of the Palace of Â鶹APP modeled after the Grand Trianon. It was built by Ange-Jacques Gabriel a renowned French architect during the reign of Louis XV between 1762 and 1768. It was initially an unofficial residence that Louis XV decided to build a new palace in the middle of his gardens in 1758, later on It was designed and completed in 1768.

Ange-Jacques Gabriel, first architect to the King, was then commissioned to build a large pavilion that him and some of his entourage to live in. Gabriel blueprinted the plan for the neoclassical movement in a Greek style that was taking Europe by storm at the time. The purpose of its construction was to provide a retreat and hideaway from life within the Royal court and main palace particularly for the Queen and her children enjoying its private and pastoral setting.

1.Marie Antoinette often sought refuge at the Petit Trianon

Portrait of Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France,photo by National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C.

Marie Antoinette’s was the princess of Austria and she would re-create the intimate musical and theatrical productions of her childhood with her retinue of friends and family at the Petit Trianon. Nobody was permitted to enter without the Queen’s permission by virtue of an All protocol regarding admittance to the property was de par la Rein (“by order of the Queen”) meaning even the King needed express permission to enter.

2.Originally intended for Louis XV’s mistress

Architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel designed and built the Petit Trianon between 1762 and 1768 after he was commissioned by Louis XV. It was originally meant for his long-term mistress, Madame de Pompadour who died four years before its completion.

In 1774 Le Petit Trianon was subsequently occupied by her successor, Madame du Barryn, Louis XVI’s 19-year-old Queen. It was given to her by Louis XVI when he ascended to throne for Marie Antoinette’s exclusive use and enjoyment.

3.It is meant to resemble a small rural village

The chateau along with the outer buildings, are close to the lake giving it a small rural village look. It has large pastoral grounds where sheep graze and wild flowers which Queen Marie Antoinette and her children used to pick. She would also reminiscent her Austrian childhood by staging small operas and theatrical productions together with her entourage. As of today, there is a harp, similar to the one Marie Antoinette played hangs in one of the rooms to remind her of her childhood..

4.The four sides the chateau represents its originality

The chateau’s originality is expressed by its four sides or facades, each thoughtfully designed according to the part of the estate it would face. The Corinthian order of columns is the dominant decorative feature of the chateau, with two detached and two semi-detached pillars on the side of the formal French garden, and pilasters facing both the courtyard and the area once occupied by Louis XV’s greenhouses. Overlooking the former botanical garden of the king, the remaining facade was left bare.

5.The building was designed to require as little interaction between guests and servants

Reflecting Marie Antoinette’s almost obsessive need for privacy, the building was designed to require as little interaction between guests and servants as possible. To that end, the table in the salles à manger was originally designed to be mobile, that is mechanically lowered and raised through the floorboards so that the servants below could set places sight unseen. The tables were never built, but the delineation for the mechanical apparatus can still be seen from the foundation.

6.Marie Antoinette’s feminine taste is reflected in the furnishings and decor

Petit Trianon, photo by tarus.

Marie Antoinette’s style has been maintained in the house with a few changes done by Georges Jacob and Jean Henri Riesener who hired carvers and gilders to create the beautiful woodwork of the bed and seats for the latest furnishings. The wallpaper on the other hand was painted by Jean-Baptiste Pillement, known for his delicate landscapes.

7.The staircase is built in Saint-Leu limestone and decorated with gilt bronze and wrought iron ramp

Beginning of stairway’s ramp indide of the Petit Trianon, photo by Trizek.

The main staircase of the palace is built in Saint-Leu limestone and decorated with gilt bronze and wrought iron ramp . The locksmiths who worked were Gamain Louis and François Brochois designed it with oval medallions made with hammer that were originally monograms Louis XV , are two letters L intertwined then superseded by Marie Antoinette , M and A also intertwined.

8.Le Petit Trianon was used as an escape from the formality of court life

In Â鶹APP, she was under huge pressure from her family, the court and her other duties she would then go to Le Petit Trianon to rest.  Queen Marie Antoinette came to Le Petit Trianon to escape the formality of court life and shake off the burden of her duties.

9.The Petit Trianon is an example of the transition from the Rococo style of the early 18th century to the sober and refined Neoclassical style of the 1760s

The Petit Trianon is an example of the transition from the Rococo style of the early 18th century to the sober and refined Neoclassical style of the 1760s. Essentially a cube, Le Petit Trianon attracts interest by its four facades thoughtfully designed to match the part of the estate it faces.

The Corinthian order predominates, with two detached and two semi-detached pillars on the side of the formal French garden, and pilasters facing both the courtyard and the area once occupied by Louis XV’s greenhouses.

10.Petit Trianon has been imitated many times around the world

The castle of Pignerolle, photo by Eusebius (Guillaume Piolle).

Petit Trianon has been imitated many times around the world, including in Â鶹APP with Musée Nissim de Camondo. Built in 1902 as a stunning replica of Le Petit Trianon, 3800 Washington Street is San Francisco Landmark 95 and one of the City’s most prestigious and expensive grand estates. It took three years from 1910 to 1913 and $1 million to build North-way, the Greenwich version of Le Petit Trianon in Connecticut. Northway is a nearly perfect copy of the model.

The Le Petit Trianon is part of the domain of Marie-Antoinette including the Queen’s Hamlet (Hameau de la Reine), a rustic retreat built for Marie Antoinette in 1783. Designed with the help of the famous painter, Hubert Robert, with lakes and streams and a Temple of Love.