The Rock and Belvedere at the Petit Trianon
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Nighttime illuminations of the queen’s favorite retreat, the Petit Trianon, were among the many entertainments Marie Antoinette arranged for foreign royalty. She organized the event depicted here, held on August 3, 1781, in honor of one of her brothers, Emperor Joseph II, who traveled incognito under the name comte de Falkenstein. The Belvedere Pavilion and the Rock, two of the garden’s notable features, appear within a halo of light in an enchanting scene reflected on the mirrorlike surface of the lake.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Rock and Belvedere at the Petit Trianon
- Artist: Claude Louis Châtelet (French, Paris 1753–1794 Paris)
- Date: 1781
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: Unframed: 22 15/16 × 31 5/8 in. (58.3 × 80.4 cm)
Framed: 31 5/16 × 40 3/16 × 2 13/16 in., 22 lb. (79.6 × 102 × 7.2 cm, 10 kg) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon (MV 7796)
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts