Presentation

In 1762, Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702–1789) painted portraits of the children of Maria Theresa of Austria, including the future Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. The MAH, which houses the definitive collection of works by this Geneva-based artist, is exhibiting all eleven drawings. The exhibition offers a look at recent research into the exact identities of these subjects and the history of these works over time.

Conducted in partnership with the University of Oxford, the University of Lausanne, and the Idiap research institute, this research combines traditional archival work with cutting-edge technologies. The exhibition demonstrates how the examination of historical documents can be combined with forensic science methods and artificial intelligence tools to bring^18th-century works to life. It offers an opportunity to discover the many facets of the museum’s work and to take a fresh look at the faces of history, especially as a new piece joins the collections and will be on display for the first time: the portrait of François-Étienne de Lorraine (1708–1765), Holy Roman Emperor, husband of Maria Theresa, and father of the children, recently acquired thanks to the generosity of the Society of Friends of the Museum.