Manuscript DS in French, signed “Payez, Marie Antoinette,” one page, 9 x 13.75, Versailles, 1785. Marie Antoinette orders the treasurer general of her household, M. Marc-Antoine-Francois-Marie Randon de la Tour, to pay three hundred livres to “the coachman of our stables,” drawn from the money appropriated by the state for the maintenance and subsistence of her officers, for the wine to which they are accustomed. Expertly double-matted and framed with an engraved portrait to an overall size of 22.5 x 20.5. In very good condition, with partial edge separations to folds, moderate soiling, and light foxing.
Marie Antoinette’s expenditures to maintain her flamboyant lifestyle and lavish palace were enormous, and she apparently even treated her officers to wine purchased with state funds. During this time she was growing increasingly unpopular, and in 1785 her public image was tarnished beyond repair with the ‘Diamond Necklace Affair,’ when she was implicated in a fraudulent scheme to purchase an expensive necklace. A wonderful example boasting the bold, crisp signature of the infamous queen. Pre-certified PSA/DNA.
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