| Method | Etching |
| Artist | after Joseph Ducreux III |
| Published | Publish'd 1st. of December 1778, by Fielding & Walker, Paternoster Row |
| Dimensions | Image 152 x 93 mm, Plate 175 x 113 mm, Sheet 232 x 145 mm |
| Notes |
A bust portrait of Maria Theresa in an oval frame, which decorated with garland, and a medallion portrait of her daughter Marie Antoinette underneath. Maria Theresa is depicted in mourning, wearing a black dress and cap. Maria Theresa, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, and Holy Roman Empress (1717-1780) was the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI and married Francis I, mother of Marie Antoinette, Joseph II and Marie Caroline of Austria. During her rule the War of Austrian Succession broke out, as well as the Seven Years' War and the War of the Bavarian Succession. Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) was the daughter if the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Maria Theresa of Austria. She married the French prince Louis-Auguste in 1770, who would be crowned Louis XIV only a few years later in 1774. The young royals were popular, but rumours started spreading about the Queen spending all her money on partying, clothes and renovations of the Petit Trianon, her small chateau on the grounds of Versaille, and the country's economical situation was dire, mainly because of war expenses. Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV had four children, two girls and two boys, but the dauphin Louis Joseph and his second sister Sophie, both died young. The young Queen settled down when she became a mother, but this did not temper the scurrilous gossip surrounding her. Her fate was debated after the abolition of the French monarchy in 1792, and the execution of Louis XIV which had followed closely afterwards, but eventually she was put under the guillotine in 1793. Joseph Ducreux III (1737-1802) was a French painter and printmaker. He was born in Nancy, and studied under Quentin de la Tour in Paris. He was known for his fine portraits in oil paint and with crayons. In 1769 he was sent to Vienna to paint Marie Antoinette as a prospective bride, and later became the 'Premier Peintre' to the Queen. Condition: Good impression. Binding holes to right edge of the sheet, not affecting image. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £50.00 |
| Stock ID | 46904 |