Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, Duchess of Angoulême
Medium
engraving on wove paper
Dimensions
image: 14.4 x 9.2 cm (5 11/16 x 3 5/8 in.) plate: 20.9 x 13.4 cm (8 1/4 x 5 1/4 in.) sheet: 28.5 x 20.9 cm (11 1/4 x 8 1/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of John O'Brien
Accession Number
1994.3.6
Art Historical Context
This delicate engraving captures Marie-Thérèse-, Duchess of Angoul, the daughter of France's King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, at around age 13. Created in 1791 by master engraver Augustin de Saint-Aubin after an original by Piat Josephage, it exemplifies the reproductive printmaking tradition of late 18th-century France. Saint-Aubin, renowned for precise line work in the Rococo style transitioning to Neoclassicism, transformed paintings into accessible prints, allowing wider dissemination of royal imagery during a time of profound upheaval. Dated to the eve of the French Revolution's radi...