Portrait of Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatine with her Slave

Painted by François de Troy in 1680, this oil on canvas portrait depicts Elisabeth-Charlotte de Bavière, Duchess of Orléans. The work was created during the reign of the French monarchy and is currently held by the Palace of Versailles, a national museum. Historical records indicate the painting entered the royal collection under Louis XV of France, establishing its long-standing ownership by the French crown.

The piece bears multiple inventory numbers, including MV 2162 and INV 8211, reflecting its cataloging within the national heritage system. It remains part of the collections at the Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon.

The painting is held at the Palace of Versailles (musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon).

It is inventoried as MV 2162; INV 8211; B 2199 within the French national collections.

It has been exhibited at the Palace of Versailles, where it remains in the permanent collection.

François de Troy’s 1690 oil painting presents Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Duchess of Orléans, seated outdoors beside a young attendant. The composition balances the duchess’s elaborate blue dress with gold embroidery against the attendant’s simpler red-and‑white attire, set before a draped curtain and a distant garden. The work exemplifies the refined portraiture typical of the late‑seventeenth‑century French court.

Created during a period when French aristocratic portraiture emphasized refinement and courtly display, the work aligns with Troy’s role as principal painter to the exiled King James II and later director of the Académie Royale. The inclusion of a domestic figure alongside a high‑ranking noble illustrates contemporary attitudes toward representation of household members within elite portraiture.