Ivory Miniature, Portrait Of Marie Antoinette, Signed By Louis Masson — Late 19th Century

A charming oval miniature painted in gouache on ivory, depicting Queen Marie Antoinette in a three-quarter profile, wearing a tall, powdered wig adorned with a blue ribbon and white and pink feathers, and a pearl necklace over a ribbon-ladder bodice edged with lace. The background, rendered in shades of blue-green, highlights the face’s refined complexion.The iconography draws directly from the portraits published by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, who was highly sought after by miniaturists of the late 19th century—a period marked by a keen enthusiasm for the queen’s memory and the “Louis XVI” style.The medallion, made of finely chiseled gilded bronze, is surmounted by a ribbon bow and mounted on a garnet-red velvet panel within a carved and gilded wooden frame featuring rocaille decoration, forming a period-style presentation set.An old handwritten label affixed to the reverse identifies the work: “Miniature on ivory, Marie Antoinette, by L. Masson.”
Dimensions:
Medallion: 11 x 9 cm
Frame: 34 x 26 cm