265 - HEYDENDAL (painter of the mid-19th-century Flemish school), after Charles Louis Lucien MULLER (1815–1892), Portrait of Marie Antoinette in mourning attire at the Conciergerie, circa 1870,

HEYDENDAL (painter of the mid-19th-century Flemish school), after Charles Louis Lucien MULLER (1815–1892), Portrait of Marie Antoinette in mourning attire at the Conciergerie, circa 1870, Oil on canvas, signed lower left, restored, Height 68.5 cm, width 50.5 cm, in a large so-called Barbizon frame made of stuccoed and gilded wood with scroll and rocaille decoration, (small chip in the frame at the bottom right). In the 19th century, the historical figure of Marie Antoinette, controversial during the Revolution, was rehabilitated and portrayed through a romantic lens. In literature, as in painting, Marie Antoinette was elevated to the status of a martyr; a phenomenon accentuated during the periods of the Restoration of the monarchy. Our painting is an excellent example of these themes: the visible prison bars, the depiction of a confined and sparsely furnished space, the guards in the background, and a central, pensive female figure dressed in mourning. It draws on a composition by the artist Charles Louis Lucien Muller from around 1856, but with a more critical approach, as evidenced by the facial expressions. Since Heydendal was a Northern European painter and a contemporary of Muller, we can assume that he saw the work or met its creator in a studio or while traveling. The light, as in the original work, accentuates the drama of the scene. Among possible parallels, the Musée d’Orsay holds several engravings and drawings by or after Paul DELAROCHE, exploring the same subject. Our work can be compared, due to the central presence of the screen and the guards, to a drawing titled “Marie-Antoinette at the Conciergerie” by Paul DELAROCHE, known through a photograph by Robert Jefferson BINGHAM held at the Musée d’Orsay (catalogue no. 61586 / Inventory no. PHO1983 165 159 85). We thank Ms. Stéphanie Soulier for her valuable insights.