Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette, baptised Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna (2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793)
born an Archduchess of Austria, was Dauphine of France from 1770 to 1774 and Queen of France and Navarre from 1774 to 1792.
She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Maria Theresa of Austria and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor.

After the revolutionaries placed the royal family under house arrest in Paris,
an attempt to flee (the flight to Varennes) had disastrous effects on French popular opinion:
Her husband Louis XVI was deposed and the monarchy abolished on 21 September 1792;
the royal family was subsequently imprisoned at the Temple Prison.
Nine months after her husband's execution, Marie Antoinette was herself tried,
convicted by the Revolutionary Tribunal of treason to the principles of the revolution,
and executed by guillotine on 16 October 1793.
Her death and plots inspired many of those who fought for conservative ideas associated with religion and royal government
specially in Vendee and helped the return of much of these ideas in 19th century Europe following the Congress of Vienna in 1815.





This portrait is mounted on the lid of a richly decorated ivory and brass jewel casket.
The painting is in watercolour on a slice of ivory
Painting in excellent condition, colours somewhat faded
convex glass
decorated brass glassholding ring
max. casket dimension front: 145 mm
max. casket dimension side: 110 mm
max. casket dimension height: 55 mm
dimension brass ring inside hor: 31mm
dimension brass ring inside vert: 40mm
lining inside box: dark red and light grey velvet.
the casket is in good condition without damage, but in need of a cleaning.






stock number 682