BEZZUOLI, Giuseppe
(b. 1784, Firenze, d. 1855, Firenze)

Marie Antoinette, Archduchess of Tuscany

1836
Oil on canvas, 191 x 146 cm
Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence

Marie Antoinette (1814-1898), the second wife of Grand Duke Leopoldo II of Tuscany, is depicted in her role as a sovereign, dressed in black velvet with a plume in her hair and seated on an ermine coat, a symbol of power. In the background, the belfry of the Palazzo Vecchio and the silhouette of the Duomo indicate the locale of her realm.