Francois Dumont (French, 1751-1831) Portrait of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (1755-1793), standing full length by a porphyry column, holding flowers in a vase bearing a profile relief of Louis XVI signed 'F Dumont' and dated 1815 l.l., oil on canvas 68 x 54.5cm Provenance: Farm House, Farm Street, Mayfair, London. Marie-Antoinette had herself painted, probably in 1791, as a vestal, standing next to an altar (identified by Olivier Blanc as an altar to amitié) and holding a vase of lilies with an image of Louis XVI. The pose is a standard one, though it may have been chosen to echo French Revolutionary imagery; certainly the fleurs-de-lys are an obvious royalist emblem. It is possible, too, that the picture portrays the more personal theme of conjugal love elevated into passionate friendship. Louis XVI was fond of the picture. According to Marguerite Jallut, the original gouache stood on his bureau in the Tuileries, whilst a smaller copy accompanied him on the flight to Varennes. The present painting is another of the same subject that Dumont painted in 1815. Condition report: The canvas has been relined. There is craquelure throughout. Stretcher marks visible to all four sides and across centre, and this is most apparent at the the upper and right hand edges. Seen under UV: the surface is covered with a layer of green varnish which makes any reading of the retouching difficult. However, there are purple washes over parts of the canvas, mainly to the background, suggesting that paint has been applied. There are several small spots of retouching to the chest and neck and some further flecks above the sitter's head and to the extreme right edge, however there may be further additions. Well presented and ready to hang.