Artwork
Portrait of Marie Anne de Bourbon, Princess of Conti
Portrait of Marie Anne de Bourbon, Princess of Conti is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Unknown. It dates from 1706 and is held in the collection of the Palace of Versailles. The oil painting depicts Marie Anne de Bourbon, Princess of Conti, seated in an elaborate silver‑and‑white gown trimmed with blue.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The princess is shown in three-quarter view seated, wearing a sumptuous fur-trimmed dress and pearls, with a small dog resting at her side.
The sitter is Marie Anne de Bourbon (1666–1739), legitimized daughter of Louis XIV and Louise de La Vallière, who in 1680 married François Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Conti. The princess is shown in three-quarter view seated, wearing a sumptuous fur-trimmed dress and pearls, with a small dog resting at her side. The dog’s presence signals fidelity and domestic virtue, while the formal attire and setting underscore her high birth and court status.
Painted in 1706, the portrait represents her at age forty, conveying both personal dignity and the prestige of the Bourbon-Conti line during the reign of Louis XIV.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1706, this full-length portrait is an oil painting on canvas measuring 220 cm in height and 157 cm in width. The work depicts Marie Anne de Bourbon seated, dressed in elaborate fur and formal attire, accompanied by a dog. Attributed to the workshop of Hyacinthe Rigaud, the piece employs the grand manner style typical of French court portraiture of the early eighteenth century, emphasizing the sitter's status through rich textures and a monumental scale.
The composition focuses on the realistic rendering of fabrics and the dignified posture of the princess, characteristic of the period's approach to royal iconography.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Marie Anne de Bourbon, Princess of Conti, was executed in 1706, as indicated by the work’s date and its inception year. It was produced in the workshop of the French painter Hyacinthe Rigaud, reflecting the artist’s studio practice of the period. The painting has been part of the Palace of Versailles collections, specifically the Museum of the History of France, where it is currently housed.
No earlier owners or commission details are recorded in the available sources, so the known provenance begins with its entry into the Versailles holdings and its continued presence there.
Overview
The oil painting depicts Marie Anne de Bourbon, Princess of Conti, seated in an elaborate silver‑and‑white gown trimmed with blue. She holds a small dog in one arm and a draped piece of fabric in the other, set against a dark, textured backdrop that suggests a heavy curtain.
Artist & collection
