Marie Antoinette and her children in front of a tree
1790
miniature
François DUMONT
A -contemporary of the Revolution- representation of the royal family
Any representation of royalty was prohibited by the Revolution. Since August 10, 1792, the royal statues in public places were removed. The Convention directed in 1793 the destruction of royal portraits. For any image, however small it may was, had a dangerous power of evocation. The fury of the revolutionary regime to destroy and prohibit any representation of the royalty and any portrait of a member of the dynasty, continued long beyond the Terror and is explained as a profound necessity to ensure the grip of the new ideas.
Despite his awkwardness, this miniature portrait bears witness to the attachment of the people’s feelings to the royal family. The portrait in its simplicity, evokes a vanished world a far cry from the revolutionary era atmosphere.
© Photo RMN-Grand Palais – M. Bellot
(via Louis XVI et sa famille – L’Histoire par l’image – Plein cadre)