Queen Marie-Antoinette

Anne Vallayer-Coster was one of a few women artists who achieved acclaim in the French court of Queen Marie-Antoinette. Indeed, Marie-Antoinette gave Vallayer-Coster the title “Painter to the Queen.” Art historians tentatively attribute this portrait of Marie-Antoinette, in watercolor on ivory, to Vallayer-Coster. Due to its technical differences from other, more firmly attributed works, it is possible that the portrait is a copy of Vallayer-Coster’s original work by another artist. While Vallayer-Coster did receive some patronage from Empress Josephine after the French Revolution, her reputation never returned to the heights it had enjoyed under Marie-Antoinette.

This miniature may be copied from a portrait of Marie-Antoinette by Anne Vallayer-Coster, who was one of the queen's favorite artists. Vallayer-Coster was celebrated for her still lifes, but she also received several important portrait commissions from the royal family, perhaps due to the favor shown her by the French queen. Vallayer-Coster's floral still-life miniatures are done with an exquisite technique that is different to that found in this portrait. For this reason, pending further research, this portrait miniature is only tentatively attributed to her.For the latest information about this object, Queen Marie-Antoinette, visit the Online Collection of the Walters Art Museum.