"The Burning of Adelaide Labille Guiard's Masterpiece (Self-Portrait)

This painting describes the destruction of Adelaide Labille Guiard's (French 1749-1803) commission to paint the Comte de Provence, brother of King Louis XVI, in his role as grand maste rof the Chevaliers de Saint Lazare (The Chevaliers - a royal order founded during the Crusades). The French Revolution would not tolerate art glorifying the monarchy, so they issued mandates to seize royal paintings and Burn them. Adelaide had spent 2 1/2 years painting this work when it was torched, which was so big she had to be moved into a library to paint it. I had over 25 figures in the surviving sketch. It would have been her masterpiece and an important history painting.