E23: French Dining Room of the Louis XV/Louis XVI Periods, 1760–80

Narcissa Niblack Thorne, creator of the Thorne Rooms, combined a deep knowledge of design history with a vivid imaginative sensibility. In the 1930s, she assembled a team of skilled artisans in Chicago to construct a series of intricately detailed interiors at the scale of one inch to one foot (1:12).

Conceived as a visual history of interior design, the rooms are at once scholarly and inventive. Meticulously researched and carefully composed, they balance historical accuracy with artistic interpretation. Each atmospheric interior feels like a stage set awaiting its occupants—two parts fantasy, one part history, and entirely absorbing.

Entry from Fannia Weingartner, Miniature Rooms: The Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago, 2nd ed. (The Art Institute of Chicago, 2004):

23: French Dining Room of the Periods of Louis XV and Louis XVI, 1760–80
The last fifteen years of Louis XV’s reign saw a reaction against the opulent curves and excessive ornamentation of the Rococo in favor of the more sober, rational Neoclassical style. Both in architecture and in the decorative arts, there was a return to simplicity and restraint. Fueled by renewed interest in classical antiquity, this trend continued through the reign of Louis XVI (reigned 1774–92) and Marie Antoinette.
Mrs. Thorne viewed the Louis XVI style as reflecting the taste of the queen rather than the king, commenting, “It was his charming and vivacious queen who became the arbiter of decorative design during their reign. She commissioned the architects, artists, and modistes of France to express her fantasies and she created a distinctly feminine style which, paradoxically, is always referred to as Louis XVI.”
Two sources inspired this dining room. One is an interior in one of the smaller houses in Fontainebleau; the other is the Petit Trianon at Versailles. Mrs. Thorne planned this space “much in the manner of the salons of the Trianon, with tall doors, elaborate carving over them, and the typical marble mantel with the overmirror.” Although Mrs. Thorne identified the Trianon with the taste of Marie Antoinette (see E-24: French Salon of the Louis XVI Period, c. 1780), this exquisitely proportioned building was actually designed and built as a hideaway for Louis XV’s powerful mistress, Madame de Pompadour.
Off-white or greenish gray walls relieved by gilt ornaments and moldings were favored schemes of decoration. The classic simplicity of the walls and panels is echoed in the lines of the furniture, although there is an abundance of fine carving. The design of the table is not of the period. At this time, a small, round table would have been customary, with more than one used as necessary. Moreover, it would not have been situated in the center of the room. The placement of the commodes on either side of the fireplace and of the terracotta busts on the side tables is also inaccurate for the period. The needlepointing reflects the delicately textured, smooth-faced tapestry-woven carpets produced at the royal factory at Aubusson. The porcelain vases, gold table service, and mantel ornaments were found by Mrs. Thorne in Paris. The chandelier is festooned with a myriad of sparkling crystal beads collected from a variety of sources.
This room measures 19 1/4 x 31 3/4 x 22 3/8 inches