The family of the Grand Dauphin, Louis of France (1661-1711)

The painting was commissioned in 1687 by Louis XIV to honor his son, the Grand Dauphin, and to document the extended royal family at Versailles.

It remained in the French royal collection and descended to Louis XVIII, who transferred it to the French State. By the nineteenth century it entered the holdings of the Palace of Versailles. Today it is conserved as MV 8135 in the Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon under the inventory numbers MR 2152 and INV 6650.

The painting is held by the Palace of Versailles, where it is recorded under inventory numbers MV 8135, MR 2152, and INV 6650 in the collections of the Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon.

It was included in the holdings of the French State by transfer from Louis XVIII and is today managed as part of the Museum of the History of France within the Palace of Versailles.

The painting was created in 1687 during the reign of Louis XIV and reflects the cultural prominence of the French court in the late 17th century. It was commissioned by the French state and later entered the collection of the Palace of Versailles, where it remains part of the national heritage. Scholars have studied its composition and symbolic significance within the broader context of Baroque portraiture and the artistic output of Pierre Mignard I, who was active in Paris during this period.

The work is recognized as an important example of group portraiture from the era and has been featured in exhibitions at French national museums.

The family of the Grand Dauphin, Louis of France (1661-1711) is part of the Palace of Versailles collection, documented in the Joconde database under inventory numbers MV 8135, MR 2152, and INV 6650.

Pierre Mignard I, a prominent painter of the French Baroque era, was known for his religious and portrait works, and this painting exemplifies his role in shaping courtly imagery in late 17th-century France.

The painting has been frequently reproduced in scholarly works on French Baroque art and serves as a key reference for understanding court portraiture during the reign of Louis XIV. Its composition influenced later depictions of royal family members in European royal collections, particularly through engravings that circulated in the 18th century. The work remains publicly accessible at the Palace of Versailles, where it is part of the national collection of French heritage.

Its attribution to Pierre Mignard I has been confirmed in multiple catalogues, including the Joconde database, reinforcing its established reputation in art historical scholarship.

Pierre Mignard’s 1694 oil painting presents a domestic tableau of the Grand Dauphin’s lineage. Set within an interior framed by red drapery and a patterned floor, the composition gathers several generations of the royal family, emphasizing their cohesion and status through formal dress and poised arrangement.