Porcelain Trianon

As Versailles became the dominant peak of the French kingdom, King Louis XIV began to feel the need for a secluded place where he could relax and have fun. To this end, the king between 1662 and 1665 buys the land of the small village of Trianon , located in the north-west of the Versailles possessions , and attaches this territory to the lands of the crown . The church and thatched huts of Trianon were destroyed in 1668, and in 1670 the cemetery was moved to a neighboring settlement.

The construction, which took place here in the winter of 1670-1671, was entrusted to the first royal architect Louis Levo . The project, completed by his student Francois d'Orbert , provided for 5 mansions - a one-story pavilion of the king with a facade of 5 window openings, in front of which another 4 pavilions of smaller size were built ^[1] . The walls of the pavilions were covered with white and blue “Chinese-style” faience tiles. This image was inspired by the stories of missionaries who returned from India and China about the famous Nanjing porcelain tower , which was then considered the eighth wonder of the world. Porcelain was still absent in France at that time, and the quartermaster ordered a large number of earthenware tiles at the manufactories of Delft , Rouen , Nevers , Lisieux and Saint-Clément, as well as a ceramic kiln installed at the Queen's Farm ^[2] .

The décor of the buildings was enlivened by several pale yellow and pale green ceramic tiles. The balustrade and the roof of the pavilion were abundantly decorated with earthenware vases painted by life-size birds, as well as cupids with a bow and arrows. Louis XIV probably ordered these elements of decor to be reused in 1710 when decorating the Children's Island , located near the Neptune basin ^[1] . During the second stage of decoration work, performed between 1672 and 1674, the pavilion received new decorative elements.

Having arranged this design and a magnificent garden, Louis XIV , among other things, took a political step, casting doubt on the monopoly of the Republic of the United Provinces in the field of floristry.

Since September 1671, the destination of this corner of the Versailles possessions has changed. Now the king was harboring his love affairs with Madame Montespan , his official favorite . But in 1687, King Louis XIV ordered the destruction of the Porcelain Trianon . The reason was that the amazing faience decor of the pavilions was short-lived and very soon cracks appeared on the walls. The demolition of the Porcelain Trianon happened a few years after Madame Montespan, for whom he was being built, lost the location of the king. These pavilions saddened the king, who now wanted to see the palace on this site ^[3] .

The construction of the new Trianon , called the Marble Trianon, was entrusted to the architect Jules Arduen-Mansar .

From the first Trianon in our time there are only the outlines of the gardens. The furnishings of the pavilions were completely lost, with the exception of one chest of drawers ^[4] , several wall panels using the technique of artificial marble and several vases.

A small palace, sparkling with a variety of color shades, surprising with its decorations and paintings, this was the first Trianon . In the notes of Felibien, the Porcelain Trianon is described as “a small palace of unusual construction, convenient to spend here several hours a day during a warm summer” ^[5] .

The Porcelain Trianon is a pre-existing complex of five pavilions built in Versailles Park to receive light snacks during the King's walks. The central mansion was intended for the rest of the king, and in four other pavilions located around the perimeter of the round courtyard, royal culinary delicacies were prepared. In the courtyard of one of the pavilions, a device was installed, which in our time is called a barbecue .

The chateau was furnished in Chinese style.

King's Pavilion

About the interior design of the Porcelain Trianon in our time quite a bit is known. It is known for certain that the ceiling was decorated by Francois Fransard, an artist of the royal manufacture of Tapestries , and his brother Gilbert ^[6] . The floor was lined with earthenware tiles. The king's pavilion had one floor, the roof over which was raised very high. The central salon was provided in the pavilion, having a little more than 7 meters in length and almost 6 meters in width. On the sides of this salon adjoined the "Apartments of Diana" and "Apartments of Amur", each of which had a bedroom with a fireplace and an office. A small staircase leading to the mezzanine ^[7] was arranged in the office.

All the decor, artificial marble panels, wood panels and furnishings were decorated in blue and white to match the faience tiles that adorned the walls of the pavilion outside. Drawings of wall panels stored at the National Museum of Sweden in Stockholm contain images of shepherds, nobles and birds. The French sculptor Pierre Mazelin molded artificial marble, which was then painted by Fransard. The beds of carved wood with gilding were inlaid with Venetian mirrors . In the Amur Apartments there was the Amur Bedroom, intended for meetings between Louis XIV and Madame Montespan , the luxurious design of which inspired many restorers.

At Diana’s Bedroom, the architect sought to imitate the exterior faience of the pavilion, tables and round tables on one leg were painted in blue and white, and the walls of the study were finished with Chinese brocade . The furniture was made by the Dutch cabinetmaker Pierre Golay.

Four pavilions of the circular courtyard

Four pavilions were built around the perimeter of the circular courtyard of the Porcelain Trianon , two on each side of the King's Pavilion , which were intended for preparing royal culinary treats. In the first, they prepared light dishes served before dessert, in the second - confiture, in the third - mashed soups, snacks and dishes served after snacks, and in the fourth - sliced ​​fruit, set tables for princes and courtiers.

Gardens

Funding for gardening in Trianon came in 1670–1672. So, thousands of wheelbarrows with land and countless wheelbarrows with manure, uprooting and plowing of land, left-handed people , anemones , tuberoses , Spanish jasmines and daffodils purchased in Constantinople were paid for, 60 horse chestnuts were purchased only in 1671 ^[5] .

The gardens of the Porcelain Trianon consisted of three parts, and this division has survived in our time:

• Garden terrace bordering the central pavilion;
• A gentle slope overlooking the Grand Canal ;
• Lower garden .

The king introduced the post of gardener, with a salary of 17,500 livres, especially for the gardens of the Porcelain Trianon. This post was taken by Michel II Le Bouteux ( French Michel II le Bouteux ), the grand-nephew of Andre Lenotre ^[5] .

Two large flower stalls were decorated on the terrace, decorated with a fountain, in the decoration of which faience was also used. A very tricky trick was invented by the gardener Michel Le Butot, which made it possible to change the composition of the stalls in a short time. Flowers were planted in pots, and pots were buried in the ground and their placement could be changed as desired. Thus, the floral arrangement could be completely changed within one day, offering the king and his guests a completely updated floral picture ^[8] .

A gentle slope going down to the Grand Canal went entirely to the south. The king wanted to make the gardens of Trianon more stunning than the gardens of Versailles, and the main miracle, according to his idea, was to grow jasmine and citrus fruits here. Louis XIV and his gardeners planted them not in tubs, but immediately in unpaved ground, on a gentle southern slope. This miracle became possible only thanks to the installation of frame structures, which were installed for the winter and upgraded with each subsequent season ^[5] .

In the Lower Garden , separated from the terrace by a wall decorated with earthenware, flowers and fruit trees were protected from the winter weather by a removable greenhouse construction. To add even more sensuality to this dwelling, Louis XIV in 1671–1672 ordered a “Cabinet of Aromas” (in place of the modern Garden Salon of the Great Trianon ), which cost 1920 livres ^[5] , “for trays and drawers with samples aromas ”, where a collection of essences of rare flowers from the gardens of Trianon was collected.

The Porcelain Trianon complex was not intended for permanent residence. Nevertheless, he was visited by notable guests - members of the Siamese Embassy or the Doge of Genoa .

This complex is very well suited for holidays and entertainment. During the seven-day royal celebrations in Versailles, called the Divertissement of 1674. July 11, 1674 a holiday was arranged in the gardens of the Porcelain Trianon . Here with the help of tree branches an arbor decorated with flowers was formed; in the gaps between the branches they made niches for musicians and choristers. In front of Louis XIV and his court, Eclogue Versailles was performed that evening under the direction of Lully , the text of which was written by Philippe Cinema ^[9] .

On July 27, 1685, the king gave a gala dinner in honor of the engagement of the Duke of Bourbon and his legalized daughter Louise Francoise ^[10] .

• Pierre Verlet . Palace of Versailles = Le château de Versailles. - 2nd ed., Revised. - Paris: A. Fayard, 1985 .-- 740 p. - ISBN 978-2-213-01600-9 . (fr.)
• Pierre-André Lablaude. Les Jardins de Versailles . - Paris: Nouvelles éditions Scala, 2010 .-- 231 p. - ISBN 9782359880205 .

• Gardens and park of Versailles
• Greater Trianon
• Trianon

•   Media related to Porcelain Trianon at Wikimedia Commons