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Marie Antoinette and Her Children

Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun French

1787

Not on view

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.

Marie Antoinette and Her Children, Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (French, Paris 1755–1842 Paris), Oil on canvas — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

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)

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