Portrait of Marie-Antoinette (1755–1793), dauphine, Louis-Joseph-Siffrède Duplessis (1725–1802), 1771, oil on canvas

Portrait of the Dauphine Marie-Antoinette Following their restoration, they are now on display to the public in Louis XIV’s room and the historic galleries at the Palace. This set of portraits and allegories provides valuable insight into the history of both French portraiture and the decor at the Palace of Versailles. The Palace of Versailles recently added to its collection of 17 th century paintings with the acquisition of seven works by leading artists Charles Le Brun, Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne and Jean Nocret, among others. See below a selection of the works with descriptions. Lastly, the collection of iconographic material built up since the time of Louis-Philippe is enriched by new works to represent the characters or illustrate the periods of French history that are represented in the Palace galleries. Alongside these acquisitions, paintings, drawings, photographs or written documents are added on a regular basis to complement our knowledge of the Palace, the Estate and their development through the ages. First, the Palace acquires objects (furniture, bronzes, porcelain, paintings, drawings, sculptures or manuscripts) that at one time were here and which now bring the place back to life as we see what it must have looked like at the time when it was a royal residence and we have a glimpse of life at Court. Since the creation of the historic galleries, inaugurated in Versailles in 1837, the acquisitions policy at the Palace of Versailles has evolved to focus on several categories of items.

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