18th-Century FRENCH SCHOOL

18th-Century FRENCH SCHOOL "Portrait of Madame Marie-Françoise de Bourbon, Duchess of Orléans" 1710 Oil on canvas Unsigned, dated in the upper right corner Louis-Philippe-style wooden frame with a gilded patina, decorated with foliage scrolls H 70 x W 59 cm Restorations; losses in the paint layer. Relined. Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, known as the “Second Mademoiselle de Blois,” was born in Maintenon on May 2, 1677, and died in Paris on February 1, 1749. The legitimized daughter of King Louis XIV and his official mistress, Madame de Montespan, she became, through her marriage to Philippe d’Orléans, Duchess of Chartres and later Duchess of Orléans. During the minority of King Louis XV, her husband was appointed Regent of France. A proud and haughty woman, she arranged prestigious marriages for her eight children.