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Duchesse de Guiche

Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun French

1784

Not on view

As the daughter of Marie Antoinette’s friend Yolande de Polignac, the duchesse de Guiche (1768–1803) enjoyed the queen’s support and the king’s protection, receiving from him a dowry of eight hundred thousand livres at her wedding. Marie Antoinette often invited the young woman to perform in the theater at the Petit Trianon. She wears the chemise dress, with bodice and bows in complementary colors, of a shepherdess or milkmaid. Her pose, with head bent forward and tapered fingers at her breast, likely pays homage to her talent as an actress.

Duchesse de Guiche, Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (French, Paris 1755–1842 Paris), Pastel on two pieces of paper, joined, laid down on canvas — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Duchesse de Guiche

Artist: Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (French, Paris 1755–1842 Paris)

Date: 1784

Medium: Pastel on two pieces of paper, joined, laid down on canvas

Dimensions: Oval, 31 3/4 × 25 1/4 in. (80.5 × 64 cm)
Frame: 34 7/16 × 32 1/16 × 2 3/4 in. (87.5 × 81.5 × 7 cm)

Classification: Pastels & Oil Sketches on Paper

Credit Line: Private collection

Accession Number: SL.1.2016.2.4

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