The most poignant of the lots on offer at the Osenat sale "Royalty atVersailles", held on 18th May was this striking portrait of Louis-Charles of France in the prison of the Temple attributed to Marie-Antoinette. Annotated by the Empress Eugénie, "Drawn by his Unfortunate mother". Sold for €10,498.
LOT 60: MARIE-ANTOINETTE, Queen of France (1755-1793), attributed to
Bust portrait of Louis-Charles de France, dauphin of France, in the Temple prison Black pencil Inscribed in pen by L'Impératrice Eugénie: "Dessiné par sa Malheureuse mère" (Unhappy juxtaposed on Mother) 11.8 x 9.3 cm on view Stains Provenance: Collection of Baron and Baroness de Pierres by descent, private collection (Versailles) A token of maternal love during the revolutionary turmoil: a drawing attributed to Marie-Antoinette depicting Louis XVII. This seemingly simple but deeply moving drawing depicts Louis-Charles de France, better known as Louis XVII. It shows the royal child, his hair cut short since the summer of 1793, dressed in a white shirt, sketched with a quick, delicate stroke. This portrait, attributed to his mother Marie-Antoinette, is accompanied by a touching inscription at the bottom of the image: "Dessiné par sa Malheureuse mère" (Malheureuse is juxtaposed with Mère). The drawing is said to have been made during the dark hours of the French Revolution, after the fall of the monarchy. Louis-Charles, born in 1785, was the second son of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. He became Dauphin in 1789, on the premature death of his elder brother, as the kingdom entered a period of profound upheaval. Barely four years old, he was already carrying the weight of an uncertain future. This portrait is all the more poignant given that Louis XVII, left alone in a cell, was subjected to isolation, abuse and abandonment. He died barely two years later, in 1795, at the age of ten, in miserable conditions, a victim of tuberculosis. So this drawing is more than just a sketch: it becomes a precious vestige of the heartbreaking bond between mother and son, torn from each other in the clash of history. Very rare examples of portraits of Louis XVII from this period are known, in particular his portrait attributed to Greuze from the collection of Baron Mayer de Rothschild, sold at Sotheby's in 1977. A possible bequest from Empress Eugénie This drawing, attributed to Marie-Antoinette, was kept in the collection of the Baron and Baroness de Pierres, close friends of Empress Eugénie. Jane Thorne (1821-1873), Baroness de Pierres, was one of the Empress's most loyal ladies-in-waiting, appearing in a painting by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, reproduced in the illustration. Her husband, Baron de Pierres (1818- 1876), First Squire to the Empress and Member of Parliament for Mayenne, also belonged to the Imperial couple's inner circle. Empress Eugenie harbored a genuine fascination for Marie-Antoinette, whose personal effects she collected with marked devotion. In 1867, she organized a major exhibition devoted to the Queen at the Petit Trianon, a highly symbolic place given by Louis XVI to his wife. Reference: L'Impératrice Eugénie et Marie-Antoinette autour de l'exposition rétrospective des souvenirs de la Reine au Petit Trianon en 1867, Christophe Pincemaille, Versalia. Revue de la Société des Amis de Versailles Année 2003 6 pp. 124-134) Like all the children of Europe's royal families, Marie Antoinette took drawing lessons in Austria and then in France. A number of drawings attributed to her were on display at the Marie-Antoinette exhibition at the Grand Palais in 2008. At the French court, princely children were taught drawing by different generations of the Silvestre dynasty from the 17th century onwards. century (References: drawing notebooks of Louis XIV's grandsons at the Fondation Custodia [article]. Hélène Queval, Versalia. Revue de la Société des Amis de Versailles Year 2020 23 pp. 179-196). Very rare examples of portraits of Louis XVII from this period are known, in particular his portrait attributed to Greuze from the collection of Baron Mayer de Rothschild, sold at Sotheby's in 1977
No comments:
Post a Comment