Artwork
Marie-Caroline de Bourbon-Sicile, Duchess of Berry and her daughter Louise-Marie-Thérèse
Marie-Caroline de Bourbon-Sicile, Duchess of Berry and her daughter Louise-Marie-Thérèse is an oil painting by François Kinson. It dates from 1820 and is held in the collection of the Palace of Versailles. Created in 1820, this oil on canvas presents the Duchess of Berry with her infant daughter.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition focuses on the sitters as a mother-and-child grouping, with the Duchess shown seated beside her daughter in a domestic yet formal arrangement.
The portrait depicts Marie-Caroline de Bourbon-Sicile, Duchess of Berry, alongside her young daughter Louise-Marie-Thérèse, presenting the two as a paired maternal subject. The composition focuses on the sitters as a mother-and-child grouping, with the Duchess shown seated beside her daughter in a domestic yet formal arrangement. Visual elements catalogued for the work include lace, dress, and a sculpture, alongside attributes of sitting and widowhood, suggesting the Duchess is portrayed in mourning attire that signals her recent status as a widow.
The inclusion of the daughter emphasizes dynastic continuity and the Bourbon lineage, while the widow's dress underscores the personal loss the young mother had endured by 1820. Together, these iconographic choices frame the painting as both an intimate family portrait and a statement of royal identity and maternal devotion during a period of dynastic vulnerability.
Technique & Style
The portrait is painted in oil on canvas and measures 220 cm in height by 169 cm in width. The handling is consistent with early nineteenth-century academic portraiture, emphasizing smooth, refined modeling of flesh and fabric to convey aristocratic elegance. The sitters are depicted seated, with the Duchess positioned centrally and her daughter to her right, both rendered with careful attention to costume and accessories.
The composition employs a restrained palette heightened by delicate passages of lace and pearls, while the background remains softly neutral to focus attention on the figures.
History & Provenance
The double portrait was painted in 1820 by François Kinson, a Belgian artist active in Paris.
It entered the national collections as part of the holdings of the Museum of the History of France at the Palace of Versailles, where it remains inventoried as MV 7091. The work has been continuously held by the Palace of Versailles since its acquisition.
The portrait is held at the Palace of Versailles, Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, where it carries the inventory number MV 7091. The work has been included in the national collections database managed by the French Ministry of Culture’s open heritage platform Joconde.
The painting is listed with dimensions of 220 cm in height and 169 cm in width, consistent with the cataloged record maintained by the museum.
Overview
Created in 1820, this oil on canvas presents the Duchess of Berry with her infant daughter. The composition places the mother in a richly upholstered chair, her hand resting on the arm, while the child, swaddled in white lace, reaches upward. A dark curtain frames a side shelf that holds a sculpted bust, adding a formal backdrop to the intimate scene.
Context
Produced during the Bourbon Restoration, the portrait reflects the renewed prominence of the royal family after the Napoleonic era. The inclusion of a bust, likely representing an ancestor, reinforces the Duchess’s claim to dynastic legitimacy, while the sumptuous setting conveys the restored court’s wealth and cultural aspirations.
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Artist & collection
Artist
François-Joseph Kinson (Dutch: Franciscus Josephus Kinsoen) (29 January 1770 in Bruges - 18 October 1839 in Bruges), was a Belgian painter.
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