AI for Culture: Identifying Portraits of Marie Antoinette through Face Recognition

The Idiap Research Institute is collaborating on an ambitious multidisciplinary project that brings together biometrics, cultural history, and art history. The goal is to analyse and identify the faces depicted in 18th-century artworks, including a famous drawing by Jean-Étienne Liotard.

The INTERART project brings together the Geneva’s Museum of art and history (MAH), the University of Oxford, the Idiap Research Institute, as well as the School of criminal justice of the University of Lausanne. Together, these institutions are collaborating to uncover the identities of subjects in the MAH’s historical portrait collection, many of whom remain unknown. Notably, the project investigates suspected portraits of Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France, and Marie-Caroline, Queen of Naples, by Jean-Étienne Liotard.

A technique called heterogeneous face recognition is being used to uncover the identities of the sitters. This technology enables a face recognition system to compare faces in diverse media (coloured image, thermal image, drawing, painting). It opens new paths for interpretation and could enable us to reveal the identities of the individuals portrayed.

The project perfectly aligns with Idiap’s vision and the AI for All research program, demonstrating how artificial intelligence can serve society by unveiling new insights and enriching the disciplines it engages with. It also underscores the wide-ranging applications of AI and the Institute’s cutting-edge expertise.

Supported by the Loterie Romande, the project includes several phases, with an exhibition at the MAH in autumn 2026 and a publication.