Miguel Jacinto Meléndez (1679-1734) Attributed To - Marie Louise Gabrielle Of Savoy, Queen Of Spain

- Oil on canvas. - This oval portrait of Marie-Louise-Gabrielle of Savoy is an exceptional example of an early 18th-century court portrait. It captures the majesty of the first Bourbon queen of Spain with a delicacy that transcends the rigidity of protocol. Confidently attributed to the Asturian artist Miguel Jacinto Meléndez, the work presents a perfect synthesis of traditional Baroque style and the French refinement that the painter developed in his prolific series of royal portraits executed between 1710 and 1714. The queen appears with a porcelain complexion and a serenity that barely hints at the fragility of her health. Her hairstyle, a fontange with curls meticulously sculpted by the light, frames the painting. Meléndez demonstrates his virtuosity in the treatment of textures: the iridescent sheen of the brocades, the ethereal lightness of the Spanish lace, and the depth of the jewels, which seem to leap off the canvas. The queen's gaze, imbued with a profound humanity and a political intelligence recognized by her contemporaries, stands out against a neutral background which concentrates all attention on the effigy, transforming this oval into a cabinet piece of supreme pictorial quality, worthy of the palaces once inhabited by "the Savoy".- 55.6 x 70.5 cm / 66 x 81 cm with antique oval frame.