THE REAL LOUIS XV—by Maurice Quentin De La Tour c. 1751

THE REAL LOUIS XV—by Maurice Quentin De La Tour c. 1751

THE REAL LOUIS XV—by Maurice Quentin De La Tour c. 1751

These portraits are now titled by museum curators as, “Portrait of a young negro” and “Portrait of a negro buttoning his shirt”

They were both painted by Maurice Quentin De La Tour in 1751…

In 1750, Maurice Quentin De La Tour became the official Court Painter for Louis XV…

LOUIS XIV — “Brown complexion”; “His skin was as BLACK as ink”; “Swarthy complexion”

LOUISE (his daughter) — “Extremely swarthy”; “Very Brown”

SOURCES;

(Voltaire, “The Age of Louis XIV.: To which is Added, an Abstract of The Age of Louis XV”; 1780)

(Thomas Pike Lathy, “Memoirs of the Court of Louis XIV. Comprising Biography and Anecdotes of the Most Celebrated Characters of that Period, Styled the Augustan Era of France. In Three Volumes.; 1819)

(James Peller Malcom, “Londinium Redivivum Or an Ancient History and Modern Description of London, Compiled from Parochial Records, Archives of Various Foundations, the Harleian Mss. and Other Authentic Sources”; 1802)

(Sir Richard Phillips, “The Monthly Magazine” Vol.13; 1802)

Louis XV died in 1774, and according to historical records from 1775, he had a Swarthy skin complexion…

“Lewis XV was the handsomest youth in France, he had a swarthy complexion”

SOURCE;

(J. Dodsley, “The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History, Politics, and Literature for the Year 1774”; 1775)

The word Swarthy or Swart derives from ‘Schwarz’ or ‘Schwartz’ which means “to be black; black man, and negro

SOURCE;

(Flügel-Schmidt-Tanger, a Dictionary of the English and German Languages for Home and School; 1905)

COMPLEXION = the natural color, texture, and appearance of a person’s SKIN especially of the face.

Read more about the etymology of ‘Swarthy’ here:— https://www.facebook.com/share/stPpKRWLBVzKnHAy/?mibextid=WC7FNe

The term “swarthy” has clear etymological roots in the Germanic word schwarz, which directly refers to being black or a black person…

When medieval Europeans were described as “swarthy,” it wasn’t just a vague descriptor—it carried specific racial and skin tone connotations based on its linguistic origins…

By linking this etymology with firsthand descriptions of skin tone, you’ve got another layer of evidence that these figures were being recognized for having darker skin…

The word itself points to blackness, not just a “dark tan” as some might argue…

And when paired with descriptions of complexion—which refers specifically to the skin’s color, texture, and appearance—it’s clear that they were describing these individuals as genuinely black or brown-skinned, not just a “tanned” individual…

Those who dismiss this are ignoring both the linguistic roots and the actual historical context…

The portraits of Louis XIV, his daughter Louise, and Louis XV depicting them with extremely pale skin are glaring examples of artistic license at work, not accurate representations of their true appearances…

Historical descriptions, directly from contemporaries and firsthand accounts, describe these individuals with brown or swarthy complexions—some going so far as to say Louis XIV had skin “as black as ink.”

Yet, the paintings portray them as unnaturally pale, which clearly contradicts these detailed written records…

Art during the Renaissance and beyond was often less about documenting reality and more about conforming to societal ideals of beauty, power, and “whiteness.”

Artists frequently took liberties in depicting their subjects, erasing blemishes, idealizing features, and—most importantly—adjusting skin tone to match the Eurocentric ideals of the time…

Painting everyone as pale and flawless wasn’t about historical accuracy; it was about fitting into the visual and social norms of the period…

These portraits simply cannot be trusted as accurate depictions because they were part of a broader tradition of idealism in art, where subjects were transformed to suit aesthetic preferences or political agendas…

In contrast, firsthand sources from people who saw Louis XIV and Louis XV in person describe their complexions as swarthy, brown and even black…

These descriptions were not filtered through an artist’s imagination or patron’s demands—they were direct observations from their contemporaries…

If we care about historical truth, it’s obvious that primary sources, not manipulated artwork, are the more reliable indicators of their true appearance…