Versailles Petit Trianon Evening Visit
Last night I attended a private evening hosted by Les Amis de Versailles ( The Society of the Friends of Versailles) at the Petit Trianon.
Guests were invited to have a nighttime stroll through the sumptuous quarters of the likes of Louis XV, Madame du Pompadour, Madame du Barry, Napoleon’s second wife the Empress Marie-Louise and a little lady named Queen Marie-Antoinette.
The evening was limited to members of the organization and we had a timed reservation. My time was 9pm! As I entered the Grille de la Reine (The Queen’s Gate) in my Jeep and showed the guard my invitation I looked into the grounds of the Chateau of Versailles and I saw nothing. It was pitch black, no lights at all except my two round headlights. As I drove in complete darkness, I couldn’t help but imagine what it was like in 1768 when Ange-Jacques Gabriel built the Petit Trianon for Louis XV. I imagined the king and his favorite dining under candlelight or Marie-Antoinette playing her harp in the evening.
A Little History On The Building:
Louis XV had the Petit Trianon built for his long-term mistress, Madame de Pompadour, and it was constructed between 1762 and 1768. Madame de Pompadour died four years before its completion, and the Petit Trianon was then occupied by her successor, Madame du Barry (who was despised by the then Dauphine Marie-Antoinette). Upon his accession to the throne in 1774, the 20-year-old Louis XVI gave the château and its surrounding park to his 19-year-old Queen Marie Antoinette for her exclusive use and enjoyment.
The Queen loved the Petit Trianon where she could escape royal protocol and responsibilities. To enter the domaine it was only “by order of the Queen” only so without an invitation you weren’t getting it. Rumor has it that not even her husband, King Louis XVI, could enter without being invited!
One of the reasons the Society of the Friends of Versailles holds evenings like this is to show some of the pieces of art or furniture that they acquired and donated to the Chateau of Versailles. Last night there were 8 different items highlighted- from uniforms used by attendants in the stables to porcelain ordered by Marie-Antoinette to a huge copper pot used to make confitures.
I found the Warming-Up Room (the Réchauffoir) really interesting. The kitchen at the Petit Trianon was located by the chapel so the food would be cooked there then brought to this warning-up room to be kept warm before being served. Not long after Marie-Antoinette arrived at the Petit Trianon, she had this room closed, because of the smells permeating her apartments from it.
I also really enjoyed the Silverware Room where the cutlery sets and porcelain dining services were kept. One of the most iconic sets of porcelain was the “pearls and cornflowers” pattern ordered by Marie-Antoinette. She ordered several services from the Sèvres manufacture in 1781, comprising 295 pieces, including 120 plates. I love this pattern and have to confess I spent part of today looking online at the French version of Craig’s List (Leboncoin) to see if I could find something similar.
Perles et Barbeaux pattern (Pearls and Cornflowers)
Here are a few more pictures from my evening visit. I am so happy to have seen the Petit Trianon in this way and that I can share it with you.
