Object Record
| Catalog Number | 58.P.28 |
| Object Name | Painting |
| Title | Franklin Urging the Claims of the American Colonies Before Louis XVI |
| Artist |
Healy, George Peter Alexander |
| Date | ca. 1847 |
| Description | Benjamin Franklin, dressed in all dark colors, appears in the center of this painting, standing on the second blue step leading to the red and gold, richly-curtained dais, within an ornately-paneled room. He gestures to a document held in his left hand. On the right side of the painting, King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette face him, seated in their red and gold thrones on the dais. Louis XVI is dressed in a baby blue coat, baby blue knee breeches, a white shirt and silk stockings with Marie Antoinette in a white dress. These central figures are surrounded by whispering French courtiers and American commissioners, which include the Cardinal de Rohan, the Comte de Vergennes, Pierre Beaumarchais, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee. Most of the group is in the background of the painting with one group in the right foreground. Unsigned and undated. |
| Label | This study commemorates France's recognition of the newly-formed United States in the 1778 Treaty of Alliance. A plainly-attired Benjamin Franklin stands in stark contrast to the richly-dressed Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, who preside over the French court in the Throne Room of the Palace of Versailles. King Louis Phillippe commissioned a larger painting of the subject for the Versailles Gallery. Although the Revolution of 1848 dethroned Louis Philippe before Healy completed the painting, the finished canvas toured France and the United States to great acclaim before being lost in the Chicago Fire of 1871. This original study stayed with the artist until his death, and was passed down through his family before the APS acquired it in 1941. |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | H-32 W-44 inches |
| Dimension Details | Framed |
| Credit line | American Philosophical Society |
| Search Terms |
18th century eighteenth century 19th century nineteenth century Founding Father France politics women |