But what is even more marvelous is the backstory of the artist who created it- because the painter who was chosen to portray the highest woman in the land was… another woman. What a marvelous spin and an important piece of propaganda, though eventually it would be rather unconvincing to the public. I see her not as a frivolous or careless- Suddenly, she is wonderfully human. And mostly, I see her as sorrowful, with very good reason. I see her as someone who cares very much, who loves her children, as we all do, and who has had to deal with unspeakable loss. She meets the viewer’s gaze with a stare that is unchallenging and calm. Looking back to the Queen, all of a sudden, I see her differently.
This was the bed of his baby sister, Sophie, who died while the portrait was in process. He does so with a purpose- while staring at us, he sweeps back a swath of black cloth draped over an empty crib. Her youngest son, still a toddler, sits on her her lap, while her eldest boy looks directly back to us, the viewers. Marie Therese is leaning against her mother, gazing up at her adoringly and gripping Marie Antoinette’s red velvet-decked arm. Instead of a picture of the queen, standing alone in all her finery, here she was joined by three others- her children, daughter Marie Thérèse and sons Louis Charles and Louis Joseph. That is, until I saw one particular image of her. But I didn’t think too much about her, either as a historical figure or a subject of oil portraits. Hers is a face that is fairly recognizable- that high forehead, the tiny pursed lips, the overly-coiffed gray wig. It seems like she was everywhere in history books that I read in school growing up. I can’t remember the first time I saw a reproduction of a portrait of Marie-Antoinette, the much-maligned Queen of France and wife to King Louis the Sixteenth. Click on the list below and thank you for your purchases! This is all done at no cost to you, and serves as a means to help our show and independent bookstores. Please note that ArtCurious is a participant in the Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to. Please SUBSCRIBE and REVIEW our show on Apple Podcasts! In the third episode of the ArtCurious Podcast, we'll look at the lucky and semi-charmed life of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, one of the most popular painters of 18th-century France and the official court painter of Marie Antoinette. But what is even more marvelous is the backstory of the artist who created these portraits- because the painter who was chosen to portray the highest woman in the land was… another woman. Such images act as excellent propaganda machines, giving Marie Antoinette a much-needed positive spin.
Elisabeth vigee le brun marie antoinette series#
In order to combat her poor press, the royal court commissioned a series of portraits of the queen to make her more relatable and sympathetic. Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, had an image problem: she was seen as frivolous, silly, and out-of-touch.
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