Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), after commissioning Charles-Louis Clerisseau (1721-1820) to execute finished drawings of his design for the Virginia State Capitol, hired Jean-Pierre Fouquet (1752-1829) to create a plaster of paris model to be sent to Virginia. The model was intended to be an aid to workmen at the building site.

Following its use as an instructional tool, the model became a historical artifact displayed for the majority of the 19th century in the Executive Mansion. In the 20th century, it was moved to the Rotunda in the newly expanded Capitol building. Because the model received regular additions of paint over the decades, many of the details were lost and there was a pronounced crackling on the surface.

In 1994, the Library of Virginia, in cooperation with Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and others, undertook an extensive analysis of the Fouquet model resulting in the thorough restoration and conservation of the original and the construction of a replica. The project revealed previously unknown information about the historic paint schemes of the Capitol, the 18th century model building process, and the history of the model itself. Ultimately, the project team decided that only limited restoration could be done to the original building model, so in order to illustrate the fine detail encapsulated under layers of paint, the group commissioned a replica. The reproduction was created using three-dimensional computer models attained from X-rays of the original.

Both Fouquet's original model and the replica will be displayed in the Virginia Capitol in 2007, following its extensive renovation and expansion.