Portrait of Marie Antoinette
Portrait of Marie Antoinette
3D
Published 2019-10-23T13:46:03+00:00
The original sculpture is presented on the mantelpiece of the Queen's chamber at The Chateau of Versailles.
Marie-Antoinette knew how to surround herself with the most talented artists of the time, such as Félix Lecomte who made her bust in Carrara marble in 1783.
The Queen of France is represented in all the dignity of her position. She is draped in a floral royal coat and lined with ermine. Her high wig, in the style of the time, is enriched with flowers, including a finely worked rose, held by a ribbon. On her neck, the sovereign wears a medallion with the profile of Louis XVI.
Queen for nine years and mother of two children, Marie-Antoinette is only twenty-eight years old in this depiction. The artist reveals the freshness of her youth in the graceful headdress and the light smile on her face.
Critics of the time praised this tour de force, "The sculptor seems to have reserved all the art, all the precision, all the softness of his chisel for the queen's bust, representing her in ceremonial clothing... Grace and nobility cannot be united in a higher degree on a physiognomy.
| Date published | 23/10/2019 |
| Complexity | Medium |
| Title | Portrait of Marie Antoinette (1755-93) |
| Date | 1783 |
| Dimension | 87 x 50 x 30 cm |
| Accession | KAS 2018 |
| Medium | Plaster |
| Credit | Original: Palace of Versailles (ORIG2471) |
| Record | https://collection.smk.dk/#/detail/KAS2018 |
| Artist | Felix Lecompte |
| Place | SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst |
