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French Culture

Marie-Antoinette’s Grand Return to Versailles

December 7, 2021

© Julien de Rose / AFP

A stunning portrait of a 16-year-old Marie-

Antoinette – the ever-famous former queen of
France – that has been missing in action for a
century has finally resurfaced and is returning
to its rightful place in the Château de Versailles.

Its story begins in 1775, when the original

artwork was painted by Joseph-
Si!red Duplessis, the o#cial artist to the kings
and nobility of France. The portrait of the
young teenage Dauphine Marie-Antoinette was
intended for her mother, Empress Maria
Theresa of Austria, but Duplessis also made an
identical version for his own studio. It has yet to
be uncovered exactly what events transpired
that lead to both of the paintings
disappearances; all that is known is that by the
beginning of the 20th century, there was no
trace of either – only a humble black and white
photograph of the original.

It was only this past November 2021, 100 years

later, that Duplessis’ copy reappeared in
Essonne, a department in the region of Île-de-
France named after the Essonne river (a left
tributary of the Seine).

© Arts In The City

The family in possession of the rare find

brought it to the attention of Grégoire Lacroix,
the director of the Old Paintings and Drawings
department at Aguttes auction house. An
historical art expert, he instantly recognized
the youthful glow, rosy cheeks and knowing
gaze of the La Petite Marquise (The Little
Marchioness), who was, at the time of its
creation, the “future” queen of France. Since its
extraordinary unearthing, the painting has
been o#cially renamed: Portrait of the
Dauphine of France, Marie-Antoinette de
Lorraine-Habsbourg (1755-1793) and has been
purchased by the Château de Versailles for
€175,500 euros (fives times the highest
estimation price), marking its grand return to
its origins.

But only half of this story’s mystery has been

solved… The original painting, which was last
known to be in the collection of the mysterious
Marquise de Ganay (who famously
disappeared), has never been found. A royal
“who-dunnit” for the history books!

Read Next: 10 Lesser-Known Versailles

Facts

FRENCH HISTORY VERSAILLES

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