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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1791–1792

Unfinished Portrait of Marie Antoinette by Kucharski

Alexandre Kucharski · c. 1791–1792

An unfinished pastel portrait of Marie Antoinette made at the Tuileries Palace in 1791–1792, showing her aged face during her imprisonment, with damage from a pike visible on the work.

This is one of the last life portraits of Marie Antoinette, painted while she was held captive before her execution.

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Oval-framed pastel-style portrait of a woman with pale powdered hair, a large white bonnet with a black plume, a white dress, and a faint, sketchy background. She has rosy cheeks and a slight smile.
Alexandre Kucharski, Unfinished Portrait of Marie Antoinette, c. 1791–1792. Palace of Versailles.

About this source

What it is

This is an unfinished portrait of Marie Antoinette, begun by the painter Alexandre Kucharski at the Tuileries Palace around 1791–1792. It is kept today at the Palace of Versailles. A mark from a pike, made by a revolutionary, can be seen on the lower part of the painting.

Why it matters

This is one of the last portraits painted of the queen from life, made while she was confined with her family after being brought back to Paris. It shows how different she looked from her earlier, carefree images: older, tired, and under guard. The damage on the canvas is itself a trace of the violent events of the Revolution.

Look closer

  • What does her expression tell you about her situation at this time?
  • Why do you think the portrait was left unfinished?
  • What might the mark on the painting tell you about how this object was treated after it was made?

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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