The Duchesse de Polignac in a Straw Hat
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Vigée Le Brun shows the duchess (1749–1793), a close friend of Marie Antoinette, bathed in pale golden light. She wears the straw hat and costume of an elegant courtier-shepherdess.
The queen and her circle had grown weary of the discomforts of the formal attire worn at Versailles. In the early 1780s, in private settings, they therefore abandoned their corsets and hoops for draped, loosely belted muslin chemise dresses, which were relaxed and natural.
The queen and her circle had grown weary of the discomforts of the formal attire worn at Versailles. In the early 1780s, in private settings, they therefore abandoned their corsets and hoops for draped, loosely belted muslin chemise dresses, which were relaxed and natural.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Duchesse de Polignac in a Straw Hat
- Artist: Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (French, Paris 1755–1842 Paris)
- Date: 1782
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 36 5/16 × 28 7/8 in. (92.2 × 73.3 cm)
Frame: 50 3/16 × 36 13/16 × 4 3/4 in. (127.5 × 93.5 × 12 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon (MV 8971)
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings