Sunday, October 2, 2011

Petit Trianon: The French Pavilion SL

The French Pavilion - My SL Virtual Rendition

As recounted in my post regarding the real life (RL) version, (Petit Trianon: The French Pavilion RL) the French Pavilion (le pavillon français) was designed by the Louis XV’s chief architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel at the instigation of Madame Pompadour. This miniature palace was intended as a summer gaming room with an attached salon frais or summer dining room. Thirty years later, Marie Antoinette would also use it for private concerts given by lantern light.


My virtual re-creation of the French Pavilion for Second Life ® was a true labour of love. It took me almost three months to painstakingly create the textures and to piece together all of those 45 degree angled walls!





The floor plan is as close to the original as was practical for Second Life ®. I did take some liberties with the one room which is supposed to be divided by an interior wall to create a separate wash closet and café as it was just too small a space to be useful. I also substituted a lighter rendition of the inlaid marble floor as the original seemed just too dark for my modern taste (my apologies to Gabriel!).

The paneled walls for the kitchen and café are based on the actual panels in the Salon of the Petit Trianon while the ceiling textures, with their cherubs, are a flight of fancy.



The French Pavilion is open to the public, please feel free drop by and visit at Le Jardin Français of the Petit Trianon.  If you would like to own your own SL copy, it is available to purchase at the site inworld or on the Second Life Marketplace at TTR-The French Pavilion.

3 comments:

  1. In your research did you come across any old engravings? It was only later gilded but was originally polychrome painted. I have always wondered what the original interior paint scheme was.

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    1. I didn't know that, how interesting! I haven't come across any engravings but will post them if I do. My research is always ongoing :)

      I have seen photos where the background colour appears white and others where it is definitely green. Don't know if it's been changed or it's just the photo itself.

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  2. Madame Dr Pompadour's lighter touch and superior taste would certainly have wanted realistic colors (polychroming).

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