A follower of Jacob Ferdinand VOET (1639–1689) Portrait of Hortense...

A follower of Jacob Ferdinand VOET (1639–1689)
Portrait of Hortense MANCINI, Duchess of MAZARIN
Oil on canvas.
Dimensions: H_59.5 cm W_51 cm
Restored.
Inscription “Duchess of Mazarin” in the upper right corner.

Hortense Mancini (1646–1699), Duchess of Mazarin and Mayenne, Countess
of Rocroy, left her mark on her era with her free spirit, her great beauty, and
her remarkable wit.
The niece of Cardinal Mazarin, she was also the sister of Marie Mancini, who
was herself famous for being the first to capture the heart of King Louis
XIV.
At age 15, the young Hortense married the Duke of La Meilleraye, with whom she
had three children. But the duke restricted her freedom and prevented her
from managing her estate as she saw fit. With the help of her brother, Duke Philippe de
Nevers, she fled to Rome, where she was reunited with her sister, Marie. Running out of
money, King Louis XIV came to her aid by granting her a
pension. Hortense Mancini eventually left Rome for Chambéry—where she
wrote her memoirs—before going into exile in England, where Charles II and then
William III granted her a pension, one after the other. In London, she surrounded herself with
both members of the nobility and the intellectual elite. After two
lawsuits filed against her, her husband was unable to bring her back to
France. She died in London in 1699, leaving behind the image of a
resolutely free woman.

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