The last words of Marie Antoinette (Dernières Paroles de Marie Antoinette)
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Plate: 12 11/16 × 11 5/16 in. (32.2 × 28.8 cm) Sheet: 17 11/16 in. × 12 in. (45 × 30.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Glenn Tilley Morse Collection, Bequest of Glenn Tilley Morse, 1950
Accession Number
50.602.212
Tags
Art Historical Context
This poignant hand-colored etching, titledThe Last Words of Marie Antoinette (Dern Paroles de Marie Ant)*, captures a dramatic moment from the French Revolution. Created by J. Pelicier between1794 and 1815, it depicts the executed queen's final utterance on October 16, 1793, as she mounted the scaffold—reportedly an apology to her executioner for stepping on foot: "Pardon, monsieur, je ne l’ai pas fait exprès." Produced in the turbulent years following her death, the print reflects the era's fascination with royal tragedy, blending revolutionary fervor with emerging sympathy for the fallen mon...