Portrait Of King Louis XV (1710–1774) 18th-century French School Gouache On Paper.

18th-century French miniature depicting Louis XV, King of France and Navarre (1710–1774), shown in a bust portrait in military attire, against a landscape background.

The sovereign, turned three-quarters to the right, is depicted with powdered hair swept back at the temples. He wears a red uniform partially covered by a breastplate and a loose blue cloak draped over his right shoulder. A wide blue cord crosses his chest, corresponding to the ribbon of the Order of the Holy Spirit, a recurring element in the official iconography of Louis XV.

The face is rendered with great finesse relative to the scale of the composition. The skin tones are rendered with small brushstrokes and fine pink and gray hatching, while the eyes, mouth, and strands of hair are rendered with precision. The fabrics are rendered more freely, particularly in the folds of the blue cloak and the red sleeve.

In the background, a wooded landscape unfolds, punctuated on the left by a few architectural elements. This treatment distances the composition from the monumental character of grand ceremonial portraits and adapts it to the intimate format of the miniature.

The iconography is linked to the various official portraits of Louis XV in armor that were widely circulated during the 18th century. The king is notably depicted in this manner in the portraits painted by Jean-Baptiste Van Loo, and later in the large portrait of him as commander-in-chief commissioned from Carle Van Loo (1705–1765) in 1750 and exhibited at the 1751 Salon. This latter portrait, which also depicts the sovereign in a cuirass with the blue ribbon of the Order of the Holy Spirit, gave rise to several replicas, smaller versions, and interpretations throughout the 18th century.

This miniature is part of that dissemination of the royal image, though it cannot be definitively linked to a single model by the Van Loo family. The monarch’s features, combined with his military uniform and the blue cord of the Order of the Holy Spirit, nevertheless make it possible to identify him as Louis XV.

The miniature is set in a small gilded border with a repeating pattern, which is in turn set within a large carved and gilded wooden frame.

This frame was created by repurposing a wide, carved, and gilded 18th-century moldings strip, which was cut to size and assembled to fit the dimensions of the miniature. Its decoration, drawn from the classical repertoire, is organized into several registers combining ribboned toruses, rounded channels, and broad scroll and volute motifs arranged regularly around the perimeter.

The original gilding shows significant wear, occasionally revealing the underlying preparatory layers. The frame has some damage, gaps, and old repairs. The piece retains an antique patina that is particularly noticeable in the recesses of the carving.

The miniature is in very fine condition. A slight water stain is visible in the upper left corner.

Frame: H. 20 × W. 19 cm; Image: H. 7 × W. 6 cm

Comparative bibliography: – Louvre Museum, Bust Portrait of Louis XV, 18th-century French school, after Carle Van Loo, inv. 6288. – Petit Palais, Paris, Portrait of Louis XV, after Charles-André Van Loo, c. 1750–1760, inv. PPP2524. – Louvre Museum / Palace of Versailles, Louis XV, King of France, workshop of Carle Van Loo, c. 1751, inv. 6280.