In the collection of miniatures of the Sakha Republic National Art Museum, an exquisite portrait of the French queen attracts attention. It was painted by an unknown artist based on the 1783 painting “Portrait of Marie Antoinette with a Rose” by the French artist Élisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun.

Vigée Le Brun was the favorite artist of Queen Marie Antoinette (1755–1793). This bright representative of the era reflected in her work the ideas and tastes of the time. As the official portrait painter of the Queen, in six years Elizabeth painted more than 30 portraits of Marie Antoinette, creating an attractive image of the queen. During the Great French Revolution, Elizabeth and her daughter left France: she lived in Italy, Russia, Austria, and traveled a lot. The last years of her life she spent in her homeland.

The image of Marie Antoinette is an exquisite example of the tradition of European miniature painting. In the portrait from the museum’s collection, Marie Antoinette’s pose and perspective are the same as in the Vigée Le Brun painting. She is wearing the same dress, but in a different color scheme, with a large striped ribbon bow, a plumed hat and pearl jewelry befitting a queen. Deciding against the brightest paints for the dress, the artist turned them into an exquisite tonal range of pinkish, blue and golden colors. The beauty of the material is perfectly conveyed: silk, lace, pearls, and feathers. The artist emphasized the beauty and freshness of the queen’s face: the blush of the cheeks, the shine of the eyes, the silkiness and splendor of powdered hair. The portrait is extremely effective. This is achieved by meticulous execution: the hair, face, and individual details of the costume are finely worked-out. The artist worked with small strokes and colored dots merging together, forming a drawing, thus creating a general picturesque background and giving the image volume. The portrait is characterized by the softness of pastel shades.

Queen Marie Antoinette lived a short (37 years), but splendid life full of idle and bright days. In the history of royalty, there has never been a queen so selflessly passionate about her appearance, outfits and pleasures as Marie Antoinette. After becoming queen, she instilled in French society a passion for fashion. Marie Antoinette ended her life on the guillotine, sharing the tragic fate of her husband King Louis XVI and the entire French monarchy.