Souvenir Album of the Petit Trianon

Between 1776 and 1783, the architect Richard Mique renovated the Petit Trianon and relandscaped its gardens for Marie Antoinette. This private retreat was depicted by Claude Louis Châtelet in souvenir albums intended for the queen's royal guests. Five of these, all different, are extant. The present copy is believed to have been given to the queen's brother Emperor Joseph II in 1781. Three of the known albums went, respectively, to another brother of the queen, the Archduke Ferdinand; to the Swedish king, Gustav III; and to the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess Paul and Maria Feodorovna of Russia, while the queen kept a personal copy. Châtelet's brilliant watercolors, interspersed with Mique's architectural plans, reminded recipients of the places where they were entertained, from the Chinese-style merry-go-round, the Grotto, and the Temple of Love to the "gem"-like Theater, where ballets and operas were performed.