| Method | Copper engraving |
| Artist | Pierre Francois Bertonnier after Francois Dumont |
| Published | Commence en 1792 et termine en 1815 par Alex.dre Tardieu g.r de la Marine |
| Dimensions | Image 435 x 325 mm, Sheet 533 x 375 mm |
| Notes |
A full length portrait of Marie Antoinette, seen standing in a classical rotunda set in a garden. She is leaning on a pedestal, and set upon it are flowers and a vase with the profile of King Louis XIV, and she is grasping some of the flowers from the vase with her right hand. She is wearing a classical dress, diadem and sandals, and a shawl is blowing around her shoulders. Inscription below title: "Née a Vienne la 2 Novembre 1755. Morte a Paris le 16 Octobre 1793. Dedidee a S. A. R. Madame, Duchesse l' Angouleme" 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. Pierre Francois Bertonnier (1791-c. 1848) was a French engraver, active in Paris. Francois Dumont (1751-1831) was a French artist, related to Nicolas Antoine Dumont, and active as a painter, miniaturist, draughtsman and lithographer. Condition: Trimmed to the plate mark. Minor tears and folds to edges of the sheet, not affecting image. Small repair to top right. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £200.00 |
| Stock ID | 46874 |