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Charles (1604-1692) and Henri (1603-1677) BEAUBRUN
Portrait …
See original version (French)
160
-
Charles (1604-1692) and Henri (1603-1677) BEAUBRUN
Portrait …
See original version (French)
Estimate €30,000 - €40,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Charles (1604-1692) and Henri (1603-1677) BEAUBRUN
Portrait of Anne-Marie-Louise d'Orléans (1627-1693), Duchess of Montpensier, known as "la Grande Mademoiselle".
Oil on canvas
203 x 132 cm
232 x 156 cm with frame
Restorations
Inscription on canvas: M DE MONTPENSIER DITE LA GRANDE MADEMOISELLE/ DAUGHTER OF GASTON D'ORLEAN AND OF M DE MONTPENSIER
Provenance
-Château de Mello Collection
-Sale Antique paintings, silver and gold, furniture and objets d'art from the Château de Mello, 16
October 1997, Tajan, lot n°40
-Private collection South of France
La Grande Mademoiselle
The only daughter of Gaston d'Orléans (himself the brother of King Louis XIII), she was a first cousin of Louis XIV. Thanks to her immense fortune and high rank, she played an important political role during the Fronde. In 1652, she even had the cannons of the Bastille fired in support of the Frondeurs against the royal troops - a spectacular gesture that condemned her to exile. Unmarried for a long time, she tried to marry the Duc de Lauzun, but their marriage was refused by Louis XIV. She ended her life in seclusion, writing her famous Memoirs, a precious record of the court and political turmoil of the XVIIᵉ century.
The Château de Mello
This painting comes from the Château de Mello, former home of the powerful Montmorency-Luxembourg family. In 1819, thanks to the success of the Banque Sellière, the château was acquired by its founder, François-Alexandre Sellière, an art enthusiast and great bibliophile, in order to build up and display his important collection. On his death, his son Florentin-Achille inherited the château and his father's taste for collecting, and continued his father's work. He built up a gallery of works by some of the greatest painters of the 18th century, including Mignard, Coypel, Murillo and Rigaud.
On his death in 1873, Léon Techener described the considerable role played by this aesthete in protecting the arts: "Baron Achille Seillière was a worthy successor to his father. He became involved, with great intelligence, in major financial transactions. His fortune grew as a result, and he became one of the most prominent financial figures in Europe. A friend and protector of the arts, he turned the Château de Mello into a palace-museum, where furniture, clocks, watches, enamels, paintings, precious stones, rare metals, antique objects such as cameos, jewels, etc. could be found together; in short, everything that belongs to the realm of art and curiosity.
The painting is a perfect echo of the château and its history, marked by the Montmorency-Luxembourg family, closely linked to the figures who marked the reign of Louis XVI.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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