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The Rock and Belvedere at the Petit Trianon

Claude Louis Châtelet French

Not on view

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.

The Rock and Belvedere at the Petit Trianon, Claude Louis Châtelet (French, Paris 1753–1794 Paris), Oil on canvas

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© RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY, photo by Christophe Fouin