Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Marie Antoinette - The Royal Fashion Plates

I have just a few Fashion Plates that actually depict Marie Antoinette 
and her husband King Louis XVI.  4 in total that I will be showing on this post.


Naturally, I enjoy tinkering with images so here is a fun piece of digital art 
I created using one of the actual Marie images. 

Marie with her Mystery Lover?
 There has been much speculation through the years as to
Marie Antoinette and her supposed lovers.
Many of the rumors were just that, rumors used as propaganda against Marie Antoinette for political reasons.  Unfortunately for Marie her desire to get out and have a little fun only spurred on the rumor mongers and was one of the things that lead to the French Revolution.

For my art piece I've got a mystery man off to the side of my altered Marie image.
So it is up to you to decide if the man is her lover, friend, husband or royal escort.


The 4 Royal Fashion Plates
These are from around 1780

Marie Antoinette - from "Collection d'habillements Modernes et Galants"

Marie Antoinette from "Galerie des Modes"

King Louis XVI - "The Just and Beneficent Monarch"  
from "Collection d'habillements Modernes et Galants"

King Louis XVI - from "Galerie des Modes"

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A Rainbow of Maires

For my digital artpiece I used the first Marie fashion plate
 image and turned her into a png; then as is my passion,
 I started changing her colors.

I used an "aqua blue" version of her for my framed creation.

This is what the original image looked like once the background was removed.

Marie Antoinette: EKDuncan altered version - Aqua Blue
This "Aqua Blue" is the version I used for my artpiece.

Marie Antoinette: EKDuncan altered version -Spring Green

Marie Antoinette: EKDuncan altered version -Blueberry

Marie Antoinette: EKDuncan altered version -Plum

Marie Antoinette: EKDuncan altered version -Mint

Marie Antoinette: EKDuncan altered version -Purple

Marie Antoinette: EKDuncan altered version -Buttercup

Marie Antoinette: EKDuncan altered version -Silver

Marie Antoinette: EKDuncan altered version -Raspberry

I just love to alter colors in Photoshop, it's so much fun!!!



Now for her Mystery Man...

This is the original image I started with for the Mystery Man in my digital artpiece.

Yup! - I made him into a png and created a variety of gents too;
because every well dressed woman needs to accessorize accordingly.

the original gent now as a png image

Late 1700's Gentleman - Blue Sapphire
  This "blue" version was used in my digital art

Late 1700's Gentleman - Emerald Green

Late 1700's Gentleman - Brown

Late 1700's Gentleman - Olive

Late 1700's Gentleman -Navy

Late 1700's Gentleman -Black

Late 1700's Gentleman -Maroon



The Frame

Here is a true EKDuncan original.
This is a digitally created composite frame.

Digitally created composite frame
I collect vintage frames and the old metal ones are my favorite.
Some of them are not very impressive on their own; however with a bit of Photoshop magic I was able to create this fancy scroll frame using bits and pieces of several from my collection.

The Narrow outside edge on the above is the actual frame I started with.
I doubled it to created a smaller inside edge for a bit more flash.
This left me with a nice frame but I took it one step further and added the "scroll" pattern inside; which is actually the side edge from another of my vintage frames.




The Background

The background is actually a Regency piece from the publication Ackermann's Repository.
It is the grand staircase from Carlton House in London which was built in the early 1780's so it is from the correct time period as Marie Antoinette's Dress.

This is the original image I started with to created my "Marie" background
You can see this and other "Interior" Ackermann images HERE
There are also months of postings on Regency Era images
from Ackermann's Repository including Fashion Plates.
See my Posts from July 2011 - January 2012 to see them all.

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The Finished Digital Artpiece

Here one more time is my EKDuncan digital artpiece;
Showing Marie in "aqua blue", her gent in "blue sapphire", my created scroll frame
and the Regency era background of the grand staircase at Carlton House
from Ackermann's Repository.

Marie Antoinette and her lover? - an EKDuncan Original


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I'll be back with more Pre French Revolution Fashion plates
from the time of Marie Antoinette soon.

Till next time...


FYI  - if you are wondering about my new address at "EKDuncan.com"
I recently purchased the domain EKDuncan.com and have tied my ekduncan.blogspot.com
account to it.  I figure since I sign my work EKDuncan this will make it easier for people to find me.  Either address will get you here but "ekduncan.com" is short and sweet.

6 comments:

  1. Evelyn -

    Gorgeous piece! Your work is so wonderful. And you amaze me with what you can do with digital art. Thank you so much for posting.

    Elaine Allen

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    Replies
    1. Hey Elaine - I'm so glad you are enjoying the post. I've spent the past year learning to use Photoshop and there is still so much more to learn but I love practicing on fun pieces like these.

      Thanks for letting me know you like them.

      Cheers,
      Evelyn

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  2. Hello,

    Always SO BEAUTIFUL!!! Many thanks!
    Despite what the revolutionaries have been said of Marie Antoinette, she and her husband loved the simple life with family. Moreover, they were very close to their children, contrary to the way Marie Antoinette was educated. I want to believe that, despite their unfortunate fate, they were happy together. So, I prefer to think that this is a royal escort.

    Have a good weekend.
    Sylvie

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    Replies
    1. Thanks - It is always a pleasure to hear from you Sylvie so I'm glad you joined me once again for my continuing "Marie" style series.

      I believe their are some valid historical accounts that Louis and Marie were not "intimately" close early in their marriage. There was also much talk about here and a Swedish Count (Hans Axel von Fersen) who was at the French court and seen very often with Marie.

      I personally do not think she had a physical relationship with anyone other her husband (that would have been considered a treasonous act); however I think it quite possible that in her heart she may have love another.

      I agree at the end of their marriage Louis and Marie were seen as a devoted family couple but I don't think Louis was the "love" of her life. My vote is that the Mystery man was the love of her heart. But that is just my fanciful hunch and not something that can be historically proven.

      Giggles,
      Evelyn

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  3. Beautifully done Evelyn! I love how you change the colors of her dresses, something that I find difficult to accomplish. Thank you for being so generous with your work!
    And, my vote to the mystery man goes to Count Axel Fersen...giggle, wink wink
    Hugs,
    Terri

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    Replies
    1. Thanks as always Terri!

      Ya, I too think he is the Count. All girls even Queens have a dream man regardless if she really gets him in the end. I think the Count was that guy for her. I just don't think they were able to get to the wink, wink phase no matter how much they may have wanted to.

      Big Grins,
      Evelyn

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