Image of the Duchess de Polignac in Factual and Novelized Biography and Portraiture

The article explores the interrelation of biographical genre and portraiture, along with the problems of portrait interpretation and representation of historical figures. Visual images influence the shaping of biographer’s perception of the subject. Portraits are documents biographer knowingly or unconsciously makes use of when writing a biography. Portraits and biographies can be considered works of the same genre in different art forms. Notwithstanding the great amount of factual sources on Queen Marie Antoinette’s notorious favorite - Duchess Gabrielle de Polignac - and artistic interpretations of her person, or perhaps due to that, the Duchess remains an ambiguous and elusive historical figure. While the extant portraits by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun project a specific image, various views on the Duchess’ person and character have been adopted in recent biographical writing. In each biography under analysis the author highlights a specific narrative structure that determines the method of the character’s representation. The difference in genre influences the representation of the character as well. The biographical novel presents a certain human type, a contrasting image. Whereas in the factual biographies the Duchess de Polignac’s person remains open to the reader’s interpretation.

biography, portrait, historical figure, 18th century French portraiture, Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Duchess de Polignac, Marie-Antoinette

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