The “perles et barbeaux” porcelain service at the Petit Trianon

The dining room in the Petit Trianon has a new feature, following the return of a set of 75 porcelain items from the “Perles et Barbeaux” service, made by the Manufacture de Sèvres in 1782 for Queen Marie-Antoinette. The service is a precious testimony to 18^th century tableware, and will be displayed on a dessert table at the Petit Trianon from 18 July.

This service is a masterpiece of the Manufacture de Sèvres, which commissioned around twenty painters and several gilders to create it. It is remarkable for its refined decoration, with a perfect harmony of colours dominated by blue, green and white, underlined by gold-painted lines. Each of the 295 pieces was decorated with cornflower motifs in bouquets and individually, surrounded by two rows of pearls painted on a green background.

Le service "à perles et barbeaux"

The Manufacture de Sèvres archives reveal “the extreme promptness with which the Queen wished to have the service created for her”. In fact, the “perles et barbeaux” service is a true testament to Marie-Antoinette’s assertive taste. The pearl motif on the green border was a personal choice of the Queen. She was also particularly fond of the cornflower motifs used to decorate her apartment at the Petit Trianon, particularly in the famous “wheat-ear” furniture in her bedroom. 

The 75 pieces recently acquired thanks to an exceptional gift join fifteen pieces already held by the Palace of Versailles. As a result, the “perles et barbeaux” service is the most complete set dating from the Ancien Régime in the Palace’s collections. Since having identified the service in 1986, the Palace of Versailles has been working to acquire the missing pieces. 

new museography

The “perles et barbeaux” porcelain service is a precious testimony to French tableware in the 17th century. It is on display in the small dining room of the Petit Trianon from 18 July 2023. Visitors can admire the 75 dishes, plates, buckets and cups on a dessert table set up for the occasion, and discover a royal collection that has been very well preserved.