Affair of the Diamond Necklace
The Affair of the Diamond Necklace was an incident from 1784 to 1785 at the court of King Louis XVI of France that involved his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette.
The diamond necklace was commissioned by Louis XV of France for his mistress, Madame du Barry. At the death of the King, the necklace was unpaid for, which almost bankrupted the jewellers and then led to various unsuccessful schemes to secure a sale to Queen Marie Antoinette.
"The Queen's necklace", reconstruction, Château de Breteuil (Breteuil Castle), France.
Jeanne de Saint-Rémy de Valois (Jeanne de la Motte)
Cardinal de Rohan
Marie Antoinette was the last queen of France prior to the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child and youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I. She became dauphine of France in May 1770 at age 14 upon her marriage to Louis-Auguste, heir apparent to the French throne. On 10 May 1774, her husband ascended the throne as Louis XVI and she became queen.
Portrait, c. 1775
Archduchess Maria Antonia depicted at seven years of age in a 1762 watercolor portrait by Jean-Étienne Liotard
Maria Antonia by Martin van Meytens c.1767-1768
Archduchess Maria Antonia depicted at age 13 in a 1769 portrait by Joseph Ducreux, which was sent to the Palace of Versailles in May 1769
