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Marie Antoinette and Her Children

1787
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
In 1785, by order of Louis XVI, the office of royal households commissioned this important portrait of Marie Antoinette from Vigée Le Brun, the first woman to attain the rank of painter to the king. Inspired by depictions of the Holy Family, the work was intended to extoll the queen’s maternal role. The empty bassinet alludes to her fourth child, who had recently died.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Marie Antoinette and Her Children
  • Artist: Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (French, Paris 1755–1842 Paris)
  • Date: 1787
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 108 1/4 in. × 85 1/4 in. (275 × 216.5 cm)
    Frame: 146 7/16 in. × 106 1/8 in. × 9 7/16 in. (372 × 269.5 × 24 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon (MV 4520)
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings