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Primary sourcePainting1775

Portrait of Marie-Antoinette, 1775

Marie Louise Adélaïde Bovet · 1775

A 1775 portrait of Marie Antoinette held by the National Gallery of Denmark. The image shown in the record is a black-and-white engraved profile portrait.

Shows the queen as a royal subject of portraiture, so students can see how her official image was made and copied.

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Black-and-white engraved portrait in profile of a woman with an elaborate powdered hairstyle topped with feathers, set in an oval frame with floral garland above and a caption reading 'Marie Antoinette d'Autriche Reine de France'. Engraved by Marie Louise Adélaïde Bovet, 1775.
Marie Louise Adélaïde Bovet (engraver), Portrait of Marie-Antoinette, 1775. National Gallery of Denmark. Image shown is an engraved reproduction.

About this source

What it is

This portrait of Marie Antoinette is dated 1775, during her time as queen of France. The National Gallery of Denmark holds it, and its catalogue record lists it as a painted portrait. The image available in the media record is a black-and-white engraving in profile. The engraving shows a woman with an elaborate powdered hairstyle topped with feathers. It sits in an oval frame with a floral garland above, and its caption reads Marie Antoinette d'Autriche Reine de France. The description credits the engraving to Marie Louise Adélaïde Bovet, dated 1775. The image is therefore a reproduction of an engraving, not a view of the painting itself.

Why it matters

Portraits of the queen were widely reproduced, so a single likeness could reach many viewers. This image shows how her public image was built through hairstyles, feathers and a formal frame. Comparing a painting with an engraved copy can show how artists and printmakers shaped the queen's appearance for people who never met her.

Look closer

  • What details of hairstyle and framing make this portrait look formal or royal?
  • Why might a portrait be copied as an engraving, and who would buy or see copies?
  • What does the profile view hide about the queen's face and personality?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Marie Antoinette on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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