The Prince of Nassau
The Prince of Nassau
Artist
Creation date
1776
Materials
oil on canvas
Dimensions
25 3/8 x 21 1/16 in.
Credit line
Gift of Mrs. Ralph W. Showalter
Accession number
64.740
Collection
Not Currently On View
In 1778 Vigée-LeBrun painted the first of her many portraits of Marie Antoinette, a royal commission which acknowledged her position as the artist most favored at court. Indeed, she enjoyed a degree of professional recognition, social status and financial success that was exceptional among women artists of her time.
Vigée-LeBrun's portrait of the Prince of Nassau was one of her earliest successes. In it she includes the attributes of an adventurer. The globe and map refer to the Prince's voyage around the world with the explorer Bougainville in 1766-69. The map is inscribed "Otaiti" in reference to his famed encounter with the Queen of Tahiti, who reportedly offered him her crown.
Provenance Research is on-going at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and information will be added to this record as research is completed. Please contact Annette Schlagenhauff, Assoc. Curator of Research, at aschlagenhauff@imamuseum.org with any questions.
