Marie Antoinette being taken to her Execution, October 16, 1793 1794

William Hamilton painted ‘Marie Antoinette being taken to her Execution, October 16, 1793’ likely some time after the event. It’s a stark depiction of a queen reduced to a prisoner of the Revolution. Consider the narratives surrounding Marie Antoinette: vilified as a symbol of aristocratic excess and foreign interference. The painting, while seemingly sympathetic, participates in a broader cultural reckoning with power, privilege, and the price of revolution. Marie Antoinette is depicted as dignified, but the act of tying her hands is particularly poignant, stripping her of agency and sovereignty. The jeering crowd underscores the complex interplay of gender, class, and political rage that defined the French Revolution. Was this justice or vengeful spectacle? This image offers a potent reflection on the human cost of revolution and the enduring power of symbols in shaping historical memory. How do we reconcile the personal tragedy with the broader political narrative?