In this lucid essay, the erudite French essayist analyzes the work of Elisabeth Louise Vig?e Le Brun, one of the most brilliant and ignored painters of the last pre-revolutionary decades in France. A masterful portraitist "capable of combining faithful resemblance with impalpable idealization", Vig?e Le Brun was the ally that Marie Antoinette chose to offer a human and worthy image of that mundus muliebris that she represented and that, supposedly, corrupted the prestige and the authority of monarchs by dint of effeminating them. A fascinating story that recreates with magnificent precision the virulent awakening of a political, moral and social misogyny that made Queen Marie Antoinette and her official portrait painter scapegoats.
ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $20. ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.