Lord Ronald Sutherland Gower (1845-1916)
Queen Marie Antoinette c.1875
Bronze | 45.0 x 24.0 x 14.0 cm (whole object) | RCIN 70172
-
A bronze bust of Marie Antoinette depicted on the way to the scaffold, looking forward with head tilted upwards, wearing a hat with a band and frills. The bust is set on a circular moulded base.
The life of Marie Antoinette, queen consort of Louis XVI of France, was a topic that fascinated Gower. He describes it in his auto-biography as an 'all-absorbing subject'. Gower made several versions of his portrait of Marie Antoniette on the way to her execution. This bronze was cast by the firm of the Parisian founder Ferdinand Barbedienne.
Provenance
Possibly acquired by Edward VII, when Prince of Wales. A plaster bust of Queen Marie Antoinette being led to her execution was recorded in the 1877 'Catalogue of works of art at Marlborough House and Sandringham belonging to HRH The Prince and Princess of Wales'.
-
Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
-
Medium and techniques
Bronze
Measurements
45.0 x 24.0 x 14.0 cm (whole object)
Category
Object type(s)
Bibliographic reference(s)
Lord Ronald Gower / F.S.A., 'My reminiscences / Vol II/ London / 1883 Page 120
