For centuries, these two childhood portraits by Jean-Etienne Liotard were believed to be of (L) Marie Antoinette and her sister, Maria Carolina. New research has recently revealed there has been a historical mix up. Maria Carolina is in fact holding the shuttle (L) and her younger sister Marie Antoinette is holding the rose. Public Domain
New research recently revealed that a famous portrait of the 7-year-old future queen of France is actually of her sister Maria Carolina, the future queen of Naples and Sicily.
Catriona Seth, the Marshal Foch professor of French literature and a fellow of All Souls College at the University of Oxford had been studying portraits of Marie Antoinette (1755–1793) for her new book when she discovered the historical mishap.
Lorraine Ferrier
Author
Lorraine Ferrier writes about fine arts and craftsmanship for The Epoch Times. She focuses on artists and artisans, primarily in North America and Europe, who imbue their works with beauty and traditional values. She's especially interested in giving a voice to the rare and lesser-known arts and crafts, in the hope that we can preserve our traditional art heritage. She lives and writes in a London suburb, in England.
