Marie-Josèphe de Saxe (Maria Josepha Karolina Eleonore Franziska Xaveria; 4 November 1731 – 13 March 1767) was a Dauphine of France from the age of fifteen through her marriage to Louis de France, the son and heir of Louis XV. Marie Josèphe was the mother of three kings of France, including Louis XVI, as well as Madame Élisabeth.
Maria Josepha was born on 4 November 1731 in Dresden Castle to Augustus III, Prince-Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, and Maria Josepha of Austria. Maria Josepha was the eighth of fifteen children and the fourth daughter.
Dauphin Louis, eldest son of King Louis XV of France, was widowed on 22 July 1746 when his wife, Maria Teresa Rafaela, died giving birth to their only child, a daughter named after herself. King Ferdinand VI of Spain, Maria Teresa Rafaela’s half-brother, had offered the Dauphin another Spanish princess, Maria Antonietta. Instead, the King of France and his all-powerful mistress Madame de Pompadour wanted to open up diplomatic channels.
The marriage between Maria Josepha and the Dauphin had first been suggested by her uncle Maurice de Saxe. Louis XV and his mistress were convinced that the marriage would be advantageous to French foreign affairs. France and Saxony had been on opposing sides in the recent War of the Austrian Succession and thus the marriage between the Saxon princess and the Dauphin would form a new alliance between the two nations. There was one problem with the suggested bride: Maria Josepha’s grandfather Augustus II of Poland had deposed Stanisław I Leszczyński from the Polish throne. Leszczyński was the father of Maria Leszczyńska, Louis XV’s wife and mother of the Dauphin. The marriage was said to have humiliated the simple-living Queen, even though she and Maria Josepha would later get on well. Reference: Wikipedia
Portrait of Maria Josepha of Saxony, half-length, slightly turned to left, with richly embroidered dress adorned with lace and precious stones, and fur-trimmed cloak; in trompe l’oeil oval frame, on pedestal. c.1747 Etching and engraving
Reference: © The Trustees of the British Museum
JOHANN GEORG WILLE (1715-1808) Portrait de Marie-Josèphe de Saxe, Dauphine de France; Portrait de Louis, Dauphin de France, d’après Daniel Klein le Jeune (1672-1744) Ensemble de deux eaux fortes et burins, circa 1745, cadres. 34 x 25 cm. (13 3/8 x 9 13/16 in.) (2)
Sold for EUR 1,125 at Christie’s in 2015
Attributed to Jean-Marc NATTIER (French, 1685–1766) Portrait of Marie-Josephe de Saxe Oil on canvas 24 x 20 in. – 61 x 50.8 cm.
Sold for $9,500 at Fine Art Auctions Miami in 2015
