Inside History
PETIT TRIANON
Versailles, France 1762 – present
Located in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles on the Trianon Estate near Paris is the Petit Trianon, a smaller palace designed in the style of neoclassicism.
During the Enlightenment, neoclassical architecture flourished across Europe. Harking back to the style of the ancient Greeks while prioritising scientific rationalism, neoclassicism provided the perfect balance that encompassed the values of the Enlightenment movement.
The Petit Trianon was commissioned by King Louis XV as a place of privacy for his beloved mistress Madame du Pompadour, but she died before the palace was finished. The king decided to gift the building, which was eventually completed in 1768, to his new mistress Madame du Barry. Du Barry was a great patron of the arts and was an influence on the continuing use of neoclassical architecture at Versailles.