Routledge Picturing Marie Leszczinska - Eighteenth-Century French Queenship

This scholarly examination explores the visual representation of Queen Marie Leszczinska (1703-1768) through portraiture during eighteenth-century France. The book analyses how portraits of the Polish-born queen negotiated her ethnic difference, French gender norms, and royal status to establish an image befitting a consort to King Louis XV. Works by renowned painters Maurice-Quentin de La Tour, Carle Van Loo, and Jean-Marc Nattier reveal how artistic depictions evolved throughout her 43-year tenure as queen. From early royal chateaux paintings to her prominent appearance in Parisian Salons after 1737, Marie Leszczinska's image became central to the visual construction of the French monarchy. The portraiture examined spans her roles as royal wife, mother, and devout figure, demonstrating how artistic choices communicated shifting concepts of queenship and female royal identity across the century.