A Pelham Puppet redressed as Marie Antoinette 'with a rose'...

 

A Pelham Puppet redressed and styled as the infamous and tragic French Queen 

Marie Antoinette

 

who was guillotined during the French Revolution in 1793.

This puppet was inspired - as a portrait puppet - by the famous painting of the Queen 'Marie Antoinette with a rose' hanging at the chateau of Versailles.

Marie Antoinette was born an Austrian Arch-Duchess to the Empress Maria Theresa, who decided to end Austria's enmity with France by marrying Marie to the French Dauphin Louis when she was 16 years old. 

The new young Dauphine found the Palace of Versailles and it's etiquette smothering and when this was coupled with a husband who seemed to hold very little interest in her, she turned to frivolity and extravagance in fashion to help fill the void. Marie Antoinette became a fashion icon and became patron to female artists, designers such as Rose Bertin and the celebrity hairdresser Leonard.

Sadly her reputation was damaged through being considered a foreigner and her love of pleasure at a time when the masses were starving.

The Revolution broke in Paris in 1789 and it was inevitable that the crowds would march from the capital to the Palace of Versailles. After the chateau was stormed the French Royal Family was forced to accompany the rebels to Paris where they, at first, lived in genteel imprisonment. It was only after a failed escape attempt that they were moved into harder confinement and in 1793 King Louis was guillotined.

Marie Antoinette followed him to the scaffold later the same year.

A Pelham Puppet Fairy was used as a base for this design.

This puppets sweeping gown is a blue taffeta robe a la francaise (an 18th Century sack-backed gown) trimmed with gathered lace, blue satin ribbon and a cut glass diamond embellishment. Underneath she has a lace frilled petticoat and pantalets. Her bodice is boned and stiffened with glue stiffened buckram. Her largely dressed hair is crafted from a light grey wig, styled and studded with pearls. It is topped by a taffeta and lace cap trimmed with pearls and gauze ribbons - then finished with a large glass diamond and white feathers. Held in her hand is a collection of roses and purple blooms gathered in streams of blue satin ribbon.

Created by Alexander Sanderson Designs