Marie Antoinette and Her Children is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French artist lisabeth Vige Le Brun, painted in 1787. It shows Marie Antoinette, the consort of King LouisXVI of France, wearing a red velvet gown with a sable lining. Her younger son, the future LouisXVII, sits on her lap, while her daughter Marie-Thrse leans on her arm. Marie Antoinette's elder son, Louis Joseph, at that time Dauphin of France, is near an empty cradle intended for her younger daughter Sophie, who died before the painting's completion. The work was commissioned by LouisXVI in an effort to improve the public perception of Marie Antoinette, after her reputation was tarnished by the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, by focusing on her role as a queen and a mother; she is depicted with little jewellery. The painting was first shown at the Salon in Paris, to mixed reactions, and is now displayed at the Palace of Versailles.Painting credit: lisabeth Vige Le BrunRecently featured: Papaya20232024 Sundhnkur eruptionsMauritius fodyArchiveMore featured pictures