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Primary sourcePainting1770

Presentation of Marie Antoinette's Portrait to Louis Auguste at Versailles

Jean-Baptiste André Gautier-Dagoty · 1770

A 1770 print showing the young Marie Antoinette's portrait being presented to the Dauphin Louis Auguste at the French court.

Depicts the ceremonial presentation of Marie Antoinette's portrait marking her betrothal to the future Louis XVI.

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Black-and-white print of a formal 18th-century court scene in a richly decorated room. A seated man in a military-style coat is at center, and a young man in a dark coat stands at right holding an oval framed portrait of a young woman in a gown. Court ladies in wide skirts and men in tailored suits watch. A kneeling girl in a pale dress is at lower left.
Jean-Baptiste André Gautier-Dagoty, Presentation of Marie Antoinette's Portrait to Louis Auguste, 1770.

About this source

What it is

A print made in 1770 by Jean-Baptiste André Gautier-Dagoty, showing the presentation of a portrait of the young Archduchess Maria Antonia (Marie Antoinette) to Louis Auguste, Dauphin of France, in front of King Louis XV and the royal court at Versailles.

Why it matters

This scene marks the formal, public stage of Marie Antoinette's engagement to the future Louis XVI, arranged as a political alliance between Austria and France. It shows how royal marriages were treated as public ceremonies, with portraits standing in for people who had not yet met.

Why it matters

    Look closer

    • Why might a portrait be presented formally before the bride herself arrived?
    • What does the arrangement of figures tell you about who held power in this scene?
    • What is missing from this image about Marie Antoinette as a person?

    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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