Madame la Dauphine Marie-Antoinette, as Hebe

Marie-Antoinette, the new Dauphine of France, is depicted as Hebe, goddess of youth, in this 1773 portrait at the Conde Museum in Chantilly. Marie-Antoinette had arrived at Versailles from Vienna in 1770, and Drouais"s mythological portrait presents the young princess in the idealized guise that French court convention favored for royal women. The Hebe costume—cup in hand, eagle of Jupiter nearby—associates the Dauphine with eternal youth and divine service.

The mythological costume allows Drouais to present Marie-Antoinette in a lighter, more flattering mode than formal court dress, with classical drapery revealing the young woman"s figure. The Hebe attributes are rendered with the precision of a classical scholar while maintaining the decorative elegance of Rococo painting. The palette is lighter than formal portraits, with the classical white and gold of the costume creating an image of youthful radiance.