Six Court Portraits Of The Entourage Of Louis XIV, Oil On Canvas, France, 18th Century

A cohesive suite of six bust portraits in a Baroque style. They depict Louis XIV (1638–1715) in an ermine mantle with a sash, the Grand Dauphin Louis of France, his brother Philippe d'Orléans in armor, and three ladies of the court, likely inspired by the iconographic models of the king's famous mistresses. The compositions reflect the style of official portraiture of the period circa 1680–1715, as disseminated by the workshop and circle of Hyacinthe Rigaud and Pierre Mignard. The series is characterized by wigs with large curls, rich draperies, and the meticulous rendering of armor and ermine fabrics. It is likely a decorative suite created in the 18th century, based on known prototypes, intended to adorn an aristocratic residence or a cultivated bourgeois interior, in a spirit of dynastic and historical representation. Canvases mounted on later stretchers. Uniform frames. Provenance: Private collection.