A Portrait of Princess Fanny Biron von Curland

The portrait of the 20-year-old Fanny Birron von Curland, Princess of Syców (then Wartenberg), was painted in Paris by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, the famous artist, in great demand among the aristocracy, and a favourite of Marie Antoinette. Fanny, at that time a wife of four years standing and a mother of two children, who was also an active painter, is portrayed in a day dress with a lace chemisette in the so-called troubadour style, favoured among persons with artistic leanings. Her social and financial status is emphasised by a cashmere shawl casually draped around her shoulders, which at that time cost as much as a luxurious horse carriage.