Elisabeth-Philippe-Marie-Hélène de France, dite Madame Elisabeth

The portrait of Élisabeth‑Philippe‑Marie‑Hélène de France, dite Madame Élisabeth, was executed in 1782 by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun in oil on canvas, measuring 110 cm high by 82 cm wide. It entered the national collections of the Château de Versailles and is recorded in the Joconde database under inventory number MV 8143. The work is presently housed in the Museum of the History of France at the Palace of Versailles, where it remains part of the permanent collection.

The painting is held by the Museum of the History of France at the Palace of Versailles (musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon), where it is assigned the inventory number MV 8143. It was featured in the exhibition titled Peintres femmes, 1780-1830. Naissance d'un combat.

Madame Elisabeth, the daughter of Louis XVI, was portrayed by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun in 1782, a work that later informed posthumous depictions of the royal family. The painting's presence in the Musée de l'Histoire de France at Versailles cemented its role in shaping visual narratives of the Bourbon dynasty, particularly through exhibitions such as Peintres femmes, 1780-1830. Naissance d'un combat, where it contributed to scholarly reassessments of female patronage and royal iconography.

Its compositional influence persists in 19th-century academic portraiture, especially in renderings of aristocratic women that echo Vigée Le Brun's treatment of muslin drapery and floral accessories. Contemporary archives note its frequent reproduction in 19th-century prints, underscoring its role in mediating public memory of the executed princess.

In 1792, Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun created an oil portrait of Princess Élisabeth of France, known as Madame Élisabeth. The work is part of the collection at the Palace of Versailles and exemplifies the artist’s late‑18th‑century portraiture.