Portrait of Theresia, Countess Kinsky
1793
Elisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun (French, 1755–1842)
Oil on canvas
Norton Simon Art Foundation
As a devoted Monarchist and friend of the Queen, Marie-Antoinette, Vigée-Lebrun chose exile during the French Revolution. While in Vienna in 1793, she produced this image of Theresia, Countess Kinsky. The Countess was the unfortunate victim of an arranged marriage. Her husband, a man whom she had never met, abandoned her at the church immediately after their wedding, and returned to his mistress. Clearly, Vigée-Lebrun was captivated by the beauty and amiable character of Countess Kinsky, as well as by her sad history.
Encounters with the Collection: Elisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun’s Portrait of Theresia, Countess Kinsky
Élisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun was only 23 when she was summoned to Versailles to paint the queen, Marie Antoinette, and she soon became one of only four women allowed to join the prestigious Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Forced to flee France during the Revolution due to her close relationship with the queen, she revived her career painting the aristocracy of Europe and Russia, as in this sublime portrait of Theresia, Countess Kinsky. Michelle Brenner, former head of education at the Museum, offers a glimpse into the artist’s extraordinary life through a video from 2020 made as part of a series celebrating the lives and careers of women artists.
