Oil on canvas representing a presumed portrait of Philippe d’Orléans, brother of Louis XIV called the “little Monsieur” to distinguish him from his uncle Gaston of France, brother of Louis XIII then named “grand Monsieur”.
His rather complex and fascinating personality is crushed by that of the Sun King, who takes center stage. He did not meet the codes and standards imposed on the court of his brother, the Sun King.
From a very young age, Philippe loved jewelry and pretty dresses. It was with his “playmate”, the Abbot of Choissy, that he quickly gave free rein to his taste for cross-dressing. For balls and evenings, Monsieur does not hesitate to appear dressed as a woman.
Monsieur’s greatest glory is perhaps to have been the greatest patron of the kingdom after his brother, enlightened protector of the arts of his time. Owner of a priceless art collection, the flagship of which he exhibited near his room in Saint-Cloud, one could admire masterpieces by Titian, Veronese and Van Dyck, ceramics mainly from the Orient, pieces of rock crystal, jewelry and other precious stone sculptures including an ebony Saint Sebastian with pearl eyes. The Palais-Royal contained no less than 169 paintings, mainly by Dutch masters. But his masterpiece remains his estate at Saint-Cloud, of which, alas, only the gardens and park entrusted to Le Nôtre have survived. These, dotted with caves, water features and a sumptuous waterfall, were open to all comers. For the building, he called on Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the king’s first architect, and a certain Jean Girard, successor to Antoine Le Pautre.
End of the 17th century
France
Height: 99 cm
Width: 74 cm
