Portrait Of Cardinal Alphonse-louis Du Plessis De Richelieu (1582-1653)

Important portrait of Cardinal Alphonse-Louis du Plessis de Richelieu (1582-1653) from the 17th century. Archbishop of Lyon.

This important portrait of very beautiful realization is to be compared with the portraits of Cardinal Jean du Plessis by Philippe de Champaigne (1602-1674) only painter allowed to paint Richelieu in cardinal’s habit.

Here Cardinal Alphonse de Richelieu is represented with the purple cardinal proper to the cardinals.He also wears around his neck the medal of the Order of the Holy Spirit.

The portrait was formerly recovered, also it presents some small gaps of scales (see photos).

This superb portrait is "in its juice", with a frame a gilded wood posterior to the painting.

Dimension with frame: 88 x 72,5 cm
Dimension without frame: 73 x 57,5 cm

Alphonse Louis du Plessis de Richelieu, born in Paris in 1582 and died in Lyon on March 23, 1653, is a prelate, archevèque of Lyon and Aix en Provence.He is the elder brother of Armand Jean du Plessis, better known as Cardinal de Richelieu.

After 20 years in various charters, including that of Lyon, he was prior of Chartreuse de Bonpas in 1621 and visitor of the Cartesian province of Provence.
At the insistence of Cardinal de Richelieu, he was appointed archbishop of Aix en Provence on December 6, 1625, and then archbishop of Lyon in September 1628, after the disappearance of Archbishop Charles Miron, and created cardinal on November 19, 1629. He founded the convents of the Annunciade and the Bernadines.He was appointed grand chaplain of France and commander of the Order of the Holy Spirit in 1631.In 1635 he was ambassador extraordinary in Rome in 1635. From 1632 to 1653 he was abbot of Saint-Etienne de Caen.He died in Lyon in 1653. At his request, he was buried in the church of the Hospital of the Poor of Charity in Lyon.
In 1642, Alphonse became rector of the Sorbonne, following his younger brother who held this position.In 1645 he presided over the assembly of the clergy of France.

Portraits of cardinals of this period are very unusual.

The photos are taken in natural light.

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