On 12 April 1747, Charles Lenormant de Tournehem, Director of the King's Buildings, and Ange-Jacques Gabriel, Chief Architect, visited the palace to launch a vast renovation project, the first studies of which were presented in December.

[14] After a variety of projects based on different architectural styles, the King opted for the most "baroque" form, in line with the models produced in Germany and Eastern Europe at the time.

[17] This pavilion for games and conversation brought together the close friends and family of Louis XV and the Marquise de Pompadour, who also enjoyed the produce from the vegetable and fruit gardens and the dairy in the summer months.

[note 2] Marie-Antoinette, who took possession of the Petit Trianon estate in 1774, made no changes to the pavilion, the only substantial addition to the French garden being the construction of a small theatre.

Conquered by the charm of this delicate edifice, she even gave parties there: in July 1781, canvas tents were added to the pavilion for lantern-lit concerts to mark the visit of her brother, Emperor Joseph II.

[18] When the royal family was at Trianon, the salon was used for card games, music and conversation, as in any aristocratic residence in the eighteenth century; it was the ideal place for suppers on warm summer evenings.

[21] Under the Directoire, it was converted into a café for the occupants of the Château du Petit Trianon, which had been transformed into a hotel, and the French garden was the venue for popular balls, with occasional illuminations and fireworksice.

[24] At the height of imperial life at Trianon the following year, Marie-Louise used the French Pavilion as part of the "Empress's Festival"; for the occasion, as in the previous century, two large blue and white striped coutil tents with a fringe of red wool were erecte.

Given the difficulty of restoring the eighteenth-century decor in the delicate tones on a water-green background,[27] which were known in principle but whose distribution remained unknown, the decision was taken to retain the gilding, albeit dissonant, added in the following century.

[13] Lastly, the organisation of the small wings has been restored to its original configuration: under Louis XV, two of them, reserved for service, were completely separated from the central salon and could only be accessed from the outside.

[20] These marble-edged pools, circular or square in shape, are arranged opposite each facade of the pavilion and are embellished with lead statues representing groups of three children playing with fish and waterfowl,[35] sculpted by Jules-Antoine Rousseau.

[36] The long parallel avenues lined with poplars also delineate the green rooms set in bower beds, providing easy access to the chapel or the theatre.

[5] This small bridge, originally made of wood but rebuilt in metal in 1889, spans a sunken pathway replacing the old planted driveway that separated the two estates.

In fact, this motif is rendered by the outline of an octagon flanked by four rectangular hors d'oeuvre cabinets,[9] all set within a circular representation marked by the external steps.

[20] These eight groups are arranged in line with each of the re-entrant corners of the façade; they represent the four seasons and the four elements, measure approximately 1.50 metres and are carved in the round from Saint-Leu stone.

[47] This ornamentation is directly inspired by the King's and Madame de Pompadour's taste for domestic animals and gives the impression that nature is bursting into this pavilion, which blends in perfectly with the garden.

[6] During a restoration in the 19th century, a great deal of gilding was added to the woodwork, replacing the country colours in shades of yellow, green and blue[20] created by the King's painter, Médard Brancourt, to match the furniture.

The floor is covered with marble in a variety of patterns and colours: turquoise blue and Campan green, Languedoc red and Italian cherry, and veined white.

[20] Under the Ancien Régime, it was covered in winter with a carpet from the Manufacture de la Savonnerie, designed by Jean-Baptiste Chevillion[20] and perfectly suited to its circular shape.

The furniture, which was dispersed during the Revolution and not found, consists of eighteen yellow-painted wooden chairs with gilded mouldings and covered in green and white Persian cloth edged with gold braid.