PHILIPPE II, DUKE OF ORLÉANS by Hyacinthe Rigaud c. 1701

PHILIPPE II, DUKE OF ORLÉANS by Hyacinthe Rigaud c. 1701

PHILIPPE II, DUKE OF ORLÉANS by Hyacinthe Rigaud c. 1701

This portrait is now titled by museum curators as “Young Negro with a Bow”

It was painted by Hyacinthe Rigaud c. 1701…

Hyacinthe Rigaud was a French baroque painter most famous for his portraits of Louis XIV and other members of the French nobility…

He was one of the most important portrait painters during the reign of King Louis XIV…

Rigaud owes his celebrity to the faithful support he received from the four generations of Bourbons whose portraits he painted; namely King Louis XIV…

He is renowned for his portrait paintings of Louis XIV, and considered one of the most notable French portraitists of the classical period…

Hyacinthe Rigaud was a prominent French Baroque painter, best known for his portraits of Louis XIV and other notable figures in 17th and early 18th-century France…

There is no historical evidence to suggest that Hyacinthe Rigaud ever traveled to Africa…

Rigaud spent the majority of his career in France, particularly in Paris, where he was deeply embedded in the French royal court and artistic circles…

His focus was primarily on painting portraits of French royalty, aristocrats, and other important figures of his time…

The Duke is wearing a striking outfit that reflects a combination of cultural influences and a status of nobility and military rank…

The white turban with a golden or yellow tassel is a key feature of his appearance…

During Louis XIV’s reign, there was a fascination with the “Orient,” which included parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Ottoman Empire…

This was known as Orientalism, where European courts, including the French, often adopted and adapted Eastern styles and symbols in fashion, art, and architecture…

French nobility, especially those close to Louis XIV, sometimes donned Eastern-inspired attire during masquerades, formal portraits, or as part of courtly fashion trends…

The sitter’s clothing appears to be made of rich, possibly silk or satin fabric, indicated by the sheen of the green garment and the off-white or cream-colored cloth draped over the shoulders…

The textures reflect the quality of materials often worn by people of high status or in royal courts…

The Duke is holding what appears to be a curved weapon, such as a sword, suggesting that he might be a military leader…

Philippe II, Duke of Orléans was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723…

He is referred to in French as le Régent…

Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, was the nephew of Louis XIV…

“He [Louis XIV] also had a daughter who was not acknowledged…There was a nun in the Abbaye de Moret who was supposed to be his daughter. She was EXTREMELY SWARTHY, and otherwise resembled him”

SOURCE;

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

1780.

“Some people suspected, and not without reason, that a certain lady in the abbey of Moret was Louis’s daughter. She was VERY BROWN, and resembled him in every other respect”

SOURCE;

(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)

“Louis XIV [had] arched eyebrows, aquiline nose, and [a] BROWN complexion”

SOURCE;

(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)

We are also told that the skin on his WELL PRESERVED corpse was as black as ink…

“Louis XIV was also in good preservation, but his skin was as BLACK as ink”

SOURCE;

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

To be clear, there is no question that Mummified skin can darken after being exposed to air…

But at the same time, as relates to the level of darkness: where you end up, is dependent on where you began….

“Louis XIV’s swarthy complexion and prominent nose were typically Bourbon”

SOURCE;

(Richard Wilkinson, “Louis XIV”)

“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)

1775.

Complexion = the natural color, texture, and appearance of a person’s SKIN (not hair) especially of the face.

LOUIS XIV — “Brown complexion”; “his skin was as black as ink”; “swarthy complexion”

LOUISE — “extremely swarthy”; very brown”

LOUIS XV — “swarthy complexion”