11/11/2024

Madame Victoire of France


Madame Victoire of France is a portrait painting by the french artist Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (1749-1803) that was made in 1788. The artwork depicts Princess Marie Louise Thérèse Victoire, one of the three unmarried daughters of the french king Louis XV. Her nephew, Louis XVI, referred to his aunts as Mesdames Tantes. She and her sister Adélaïde managed to escape the revolution and both died in Trieste a few years later.

In the painting we see the 55-year-old princess strolling about in the gardens of the Château de Bellevue. She wears a blue dress and is staring right at us. Her hand is slightly pointed towards a statue that represents friendship, and below it are flowers in a pot. In the distance dark green trees seem to go on forever.

What is happening in this painting? Is the princess showing off her garden to us? Does she want us to observe the simplicity of the flowers? Does the portrait try to portray not just Victoire's appearance but inner being?

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