Le Petit Trianon

Le Petit Trianon

In 1768 the building of Le Petit Trianon was completed on the grounds of the Palace of   Versailles. Designed by architect Agne-Jaques Gabriel, it has been referred to as “the perfect home”.  Originally meant to be an escape for the King and his mistress Madame de Pompador, she passed away four years before it’s completion. 

The layout was exactly as described, “petit” or miniature version of a palace. With a richly decorated interior thanks to Robert Couturier, perhaps the most notable inhabitant was Marie-Antionette, wife of Louis XVI. The rooms took on a much more intimate layout  than that of a traditional royal palace, and placed near the edge of the woods, was meant to feel like a true escape, even if only yards away from the Palace. 

The the structure is said to be a perfect balance of Baroque and Rococo styles, in Neoclassical fashion. The front facade features rounded corinthian columns, with the center columns being set away from the walls and the outer left and right columns being partially embedded into the façade. The building has clean lines and a symmetrical layout of windows. It is cubic in form, appearing to be perhaps one floor, but in reality is 3 floors high. As you go around to the back of the building, the facade and columns became more simplified while maintaining the symmetrical layout. The columns in the rear are flat and all partially embedded. 

        The idea of having a smaller version of one’s own home in some regard, became a trend that many wealthy and royal people of the time started to follow. It was a way for them to feel as if they were able to understand the common people, in essence trying to get a sense of what it was like to live like them. Marie Antionette, for one, took that concept a bit too far some might say. On the grounds of Le Petit Trianon, she had a peasant farm built. She named it “The Hameau”, and she would spend her days there pretending to be a peasant. There were paid workers who ran the farm, which also provided provisions for the Palace.

Le Petit Trianon was important because it showed that at a time when court-life was crucial to many, even the royals felt the excessiveness of it and wanted to escape it. The Architecture is clearly a depart from the traditional styles of the palace which are much more  ornate.