LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2006 October Grand Format Autographs #629  / 

25367

Marie Antoinette Autograph Note Signed.

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD
Marie Antoinette Autograph Note Signed.
<B>Marie Antoinette Autograph Note Signed..</B></I> One page, 3.5" x 3.25", np, nd. A gorgeous specimen, a holograph note, which is written entirely in French and in her hand. It explains that she has spoken to the King, who has taken the Count's advice and charges her to tell him so; she says it would be well for him to come tomorrow after Mass, as the club does not meet, and the affair will then be taken up again and finally settled. Marie was born to Francis I, the Holy Roman Emperor, and went on to marry Louis XVI and become Queen of France. She was mother of the "lost Dauphin" Louis XVII, who died while he and his mother were imprisoned at the height of the French Revolution in 1793. Marie was sent to the guillotine on October 16, 1793. She was driven through the streets of Paris for over an hour among cheering and bloodthirsty crowds. The legends say that she was calm and dignified even to the end, and her last words were supposedly an apology to the executioner for stepping on his foot. Her body was dumped into an unmarked grave, and she went down in history as a weak and somewhat dimwitted woman; however, in recent history her reputation has received much bolstering from modern scholars. Nevertheless, she is a famous figure in the French Revolution and certainly viewed as somewhat of a martyr by many royalists and scholars. This beautiful note has been matted alongside two engravings of the Queen and Louis XVI; these have been set on either side of a larger engraving of Marie standing near a vanity mirror. At the very bottom of the display, there is a small block of text, explaining the contents of the note; the entire piece has been framed to an overall size of 16.5" x 12.25; the note is in fine condition; the ink has somewhat oxidized into the paper creating a few very dark spots; light overall toning.
Sign In to Bookmark Lot