Will the real Marie Antoinette please stand up! A fascinating revelation by an Oxford University professor has revealed that one of the most famous childhood portraits of Marie Antoinette actually depicts her older sister, Maria Carolina of Austria, who later became Queen of Naples. The revelation promises to reshape how we understand the visual legacy of France's most infamous queen.
Professor Catriona Seth, a scholar of French literature at Oxford University, made the discovery while researching for an upcoming book at the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire (MAH) in Geneva. The acclaimed watercolor, painted in 1762 by Genevan artist Jean-Étienne Liotard, has appeared in biographies of Marie Antoinette worldwide for decades reveals a University of Oxford release.
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The Tell-Tale Evidence Hidden in Plain Sight
The most compelling evidence lies in a small but crucial detail that art historians had previously overlooked. The young girl in the portrait wears an ornament pinned to her chest featuring a medal with a red cross beneath a large black ribbon. Professor Seth identified this as the Order of the Starry Cross, an imperial Austrian dynastic order reserved for Catholic noble ladies.
This identification proved pivotal to solving the mystery. Marie Antoinette would not receive this prestigious honor until 1766, four years after Liotard painted the portrait in 1762. The timing was widely reported in European press at the time, as it was considered an extremely prestigious award. In contrast, Maria Carolina received her Order of the Starry Cross in 1762, precisely when Liotard was in Vienna painting the imperial family reports the Daily Mail.
This portrait by Jean-Étienne Liotard, thought to portray Marie Antoinette, includes the Order of the Starry Cross medal pinned to her dress, indicating it is actually her older sister, Maria Carolina. (Public Domain)
The portrait shows a determined child with a steely gaze, holding a weaving shuttle in one hand and red thread in the other. This stern expression has long been interpreted as evidence of Marie Antoinette's destined "life of significance," but it actually depicts her older sister's character.
The Real Marie Antoinette Portrait Revealed
Professor Seth's investigation led to another surprising revelation. A second, less famous portrait by Liotard, previously thought to depict Maria Carolina, actually shows the young Marie Antoinette. In this painting, a more petite girl smiles demurely while holding a rose to her chest - a recurring motif in Marie Antoinette portraits throughout her life.
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Portrait by Jean-Etienne Liotard, now thought to depict Marie Antoinette, previously thought to be her sister. (Public Domain)
The girl in this second portrait also wears distinctive earrings that Marie Antoinette wore in a later portrait created when she became queen. Perhaps most tellingly, the subject appears younger than the girl in the first painting, and Marie Antoinette had no younger sisters among the Habsburg children.
Maria Carolina (1752-1814) would have been approximately 10 years old when the portraits were completed, while Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) would have been about seven. The age difference is clearly visible when comparing the two works side by side.
A Mix-Up That Shaped History's Memory
The portrait misidentification occurred sometime during the past 250 years, though the exact moment remains unclear. According to staff at the Geneva museum, the sisters' identities were already confused when these artworks entered the collection in 1947. This suggests the error happened much earlier, possibly during the tumultuous years following the French Revolution when many royal artifacts were scattered.
The Order of the Starry Cross, the key evidence that solved the portrait mystery. (Borodun/CC BY-SA 4.0)
The misattribution has had lasting cultural impact. The determined expression of the girl in the famous portrait has long been cited as evidence of Marie Antoinette's destined significance and royal bearing from childhood. Professor Seth notes that this stern, almost regal gaze helped shape popular perception of the future queen's early character and ambitions.
The discovery means that websites, galleries, libraries, and publications worldwide will need to correct their captions and attributions. Professor Seth's research demonstrates how art historical scholarship continues to uncover new truths about even the most well-documented figures in history.
Marie Antoinette was born in Vienna to Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria, and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I as their 15th and youngest child. She married the future King Louis XVI of France at age 14, but the couple's reign ended tragically during the French Revolution when both were executed by guillotine in the 1790s.
Top image: Portraits by Jean-Etienne Liotard depicting Marie Antoinette and her sister Maria Carolina, but which is which? Source: Left; Public Domain, Right; Public Domain
By Gary Manners
References
Chadwick, J.. (2025). The portrait of Marie Antoinette as a child that's really her SISTER. Available at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-15180041/portrait-Marie-Antoinette-child-really-SISTER.html
Seth, C., 2025. New research finds defining childhood portrait of Marie Antoinette is really her sister. University of Oxford. Available at: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-10-09-new-research-finds-defining-childhood-portrait-marie-antoinette-really-her-sister
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