#Lose #Marie #Antoinette #Collectibles #WorthPoint
Few historical figures have captured the attention and imagination quite like that of the late 18th-century French queen, Marie Antoinette, whose lifestyle helped push the country into revolution. Even now, more than 230 years after her death from the guillotine’s blade in October 1793, items connected with her continue to make headlines around the world.
In 2018, a pearl and diamond pendant necklace set a new world record for a piece of pearl jewelry when it realized $42.7 million. Most recently, when a giltwood chair that once graced her Versailles boudoir came to the market at the end of 2023, bidders sat up and took notice. It sold for $2.81 million and a new world auction record for a single 18th-century chair. And, for those who need to satisfy their lust for luxe living vicariously, we can now watch the BBC-produced PBS television series that bears her name. All this fascination prompted a closer look at why collectors are losing their heads over objects she owned or inspired.
One Degree of Separation
World-record-setting prices aside, having verifiable and well-documented provenance back to the queen will add significant value to any object. A pair of diamond, silver, and yellow-gold bracelets commissioned from her personal jeweler around 1776—and later smuggled out of France in 1791 for safekeeping—smashed its $2–4 million auction estimate and sold for $8.2 million in 2021.
In the fall of 2022, two pieces of furniture owned and used by Marie Antoinette—a chinoiserie painted commode à vantaux and an armchair—sold for $971,000 and $934,000, respectively, both well above expectations. In the spring of 2023, an auction of seventy-five lots of 17th, 18th, and 19th-century French furnishings from the Normandy Château du Champ-de-Bataille included a suite of seating furniture that was probably delivered to Queen Marie-Antoinette. The five-piece suite—a sofa and four armchairs—had provenance to the Château de Fontainebleau and realized the regal price of $897,000. Even a tooled red leather domed-lid box stamped with her coat of arms topped off at $50,400 when it was auctioned in January 2023.
Documents signed by Marie Antoinette come to market with greater frequency than her jewelry or furnishings and always attract attention. A one-page signed letter written to the Secretary of State for the Navy on August 30, 1786, in which she discusses the “Affair of the Diamond Necklace”—a key moment that ultimately turned public sentiment against her and the monarchy ahead of the Revolution—brought $27,270 in 2019. A vellum document from 1789, written weeks before the queen and the royal family were placed under house arrest, acknowledges debts related to six years of expenses. It not only retains its original scarce paper seal with her coat of arms but underscores her excessive expenditures. Auctioned in September 2020, it sold for $13,750.
Even objects Marie Antoinette never owned still bring big bucks if they can be linked to France’s last monarchy. For example, consider a Louis XVI regulator ormolu and glass clock with a jeweled and enameled porcelain dial that was included in a 1794 inventory of the Château de Saint-Cloud, the queen’s private home until 1791. When it came to auction in 2023 with an estimate of $100,000–150,000, it sold for an impressive $246,000.
Live Like—or with—a Queen!
Images of Marie Antoinette are everywhere, making it possible to welcome her into your life in a variety of ways. To celebrate the 275th anniversary of Sevres porcelain in 2015, a limited number of just 275 large silver medals, about three inches in diameter, featuring her countenance surrounded by blue resin were made; one sold June 2023 on eBay for $20,000. A 21½-inch tall Meissen porcelain figure of the queen, modeled after Jean-Baptiste André Gautier-Dagoty’s 1775 portrait, brought $11,250 at an auction in December 2020.
Want to have your cake and not only eat it but do so like a queen? Tétard Frères produced a French sterling silver flatware set for twelve in a pattern based on a service made for the queen around 1775, and it brought $16,995 on eBay in November 2020. That flatware service would pair well with a set of twelve Sevres porcelain ten-inch plates made in 1846, signed Debrie Chateau de Versailles, and priced at $9,600. A Louis XVI-style bonheur du jour decorated with porcelain portrait plaques of Marie Antoinette would store both the porcelain and silver beautifully. It traded hands in 2015 for $2,250.
Playing the Queen
Several films depict France’s tragic last queen. The first movie about her was made in 1938, starring Norma Shearer in the title role. Several pieces of clothing from the movie have come to auction, including an opulent black velvet and lace two-piece period-style gown made by fashion designer Adrian. When it sold at auction in 2017, it exceeded expectations and earned $35,000.
Sofia Coppola made one of the more recent full-length feature films about the queen in 2006. With Kirsten Dunst in the title role, the Queen’s celebrity was focused on sex, parties, and indulgences, making it highly popular for younger audiences. While critical responses were mixed, mementos from the film—magazine covers, signed press photos, and posters—can be had for arguably reasonable prices.
Everyone’s Favorite Doll
In 2003, Mattel issued a limited-edition Barbie doll as part of its Women of Royalty series. According to Artnet, the doll is one of the most expensive Barbies, with one bringing $1,250 in an eBay auction in 2016, though a range of prices have been realized since then. The most expensive single Marie Antoinette Barbie doll in WorthPoint’s price database sold for $3,000 in September 2023. It’s worth noting that the doll’s value has increased by 328 percent, making it a good investment for anyone who can find a new/in-the-box doll.
An eBay buyer paid $3,500 for a 1:12 scale model of Versailles that featured twelve rooms, four hallways, nine fireplaces, and fifty-four pieces of furniture. Though no doll was included with the doll house, a 1:12 Marie Antoinette doll that might fit it and was made by Dana Burton sold in February 2023 for $4,850. Though unlikely, it’s nice to think the two lots ended up together.
History suggests that Marie Antoinette’s legacy and influence will remain strong. It’s a pretty safe bet that such regal collectibles will also hold or grow their value.
Madelia Hickman Ring has worked in the arts and antiques world for nearly 30 years. She has a particular passion for following art market trends, but when she’s off duty, she enjoy paddleboarding, cooking, and binge-watching Netflix.
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