Charles-André van Loo, First Painter to Louis XV

Charles-André van Loo (Nice, France, 15th February 1705 – Paris, France, 15th July 1765)

Charles-André van Loo by Louis-Michel van Loo, 1764

Today we meet yet another member of the van Loo artistic dynasty. Like the others members of his family who have visited the salon, Charles-André van Loo enjoyed enormous success throughout Europe and became a favourite of the most illustrious and noble households.

The Marquise de Pompadour as a Gardener, 1754

As the son of Louis-Abraham van Loo and grandson of Jacob van Loo, the young man could not have asked for a better pedigree and he was raised and tutored by his elder brother,  Jean-Baptiste van Loo. Together the siblings travelled through Italy and onto Rome, where van Loo embarked on intensive studies of anatomy and technique under Benedetto Luti before undertaking study of sculpture with Pierre Legros, though it was as a painter where his true talent could be found.

Halte de chasse, 1737

Van Loo remained in Italy until the age of 18 and then returned to France to settle in Paris, where he enjoyed enormous success and was the recipient of a Grand Prix from the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. Buoyed by this triumph he once again travelled to Turin and Rome, winning the Grand Prix de Rome. The painter's reputation soared as he gathered more and more plaudits and he became a court favourite of king Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia, who commissioned a number of large-scale works.

Louis XV

More travels followed before van Loo returned to settle in Paris in 1735 as a member and later director of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, where he held enormous influence and respect. Appointed First Painter to Louis XV in 1762, he remained hugely popular and successful until his death, favoured by the richest names in Europe.

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

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Empress Elizabeth Petrovna by Charles-André van Loo, 1760

Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, Sculptor

Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (Paris, France, 26th January 1714 – Paris, France, 20th August 1785)

Today we welcome a sculptor to the salon in the estimable form of Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, a man who rose from relatively humble beginnings to become the toast of Paris.

Pigalle was born in perhaps uninspiring circumstances, as one of seven children born to a carpenter. From a young age he showed an aptitude for art and was determined to win a place at the Académie Royale. He began his training with Robert le Lorrain and, without the wealth and privilege of some of his contemporaries, funded his own trip to Rome in 1735. Here he he studied and developed his talents with an eye on the Prix de Rome.

Mercury Attaching his Wings

In fact, Pigalle did not win the Prix and returned to France in 1740, where he conceived his most famous sculpture, that of Mercury Attaching his Wings. It was an enormous critical success and he was finally awarded a place at the Académie Royale in 1744. With this ambition realised he quickly rose to the top of his field as a favourite of the royal court, particularly Madame de Pompadour.

By 1752 Pigalle was a professor at the Académie, his work on display in the courts of Europe and Russia. His sculptures are noted for their naturalism and were occasionally controversial, as seen in the shocked reception to his 1776 piece, Nude Voltaire. Tombs created by Pigalle can be seen in Notre Dame de Paris and by the time of his death, he was considered one of the foremost sculptors of his age.

Nude Voltaire, 1753

The Marriage of Marie Leszczyńska and Louis XV

A fan depicting the marriage of Marie Leszczyńska and Louis XV on 5th September 1725 

I have always liked a good wedding, especially one that goes on for days and involves a palace! I remember that giddy day when the colonist and I were wed; the gin flowed very free, we rolled out through Covent Garden in the best coach and by the end of the night grandmother Gilflurt was somewhat worse for wear. Indeed, I'd say the house on Henrietta Street was even more tottering after those festivities, and that's quite a fear in itself.

My quill has danced across a fair few life stories of late; some happy, some tragic, all of them eventful. I thought it was time for a small matrimonial interlude, to examine up close just a little of the wheeling and dealing that went into the marriage of Marie Leszczyńska and Louis XV.

Infante Mariana Victoria of Spain by Alexis Simon Belle, 1725

With the end of the War of the Quadruple Alliance in 1710, relations between France and Spain were shaky to say the least. Regarding one another with suspicion, the rulers of the two nations decided that the only way to reconcile was to secure themselves a whole collection of dynastic marriages. Discussions went on for years until, by 1721 it was decided that the 11 year old Louis XV should be officially engaged to the Infanta Mariana Victoria of Spain, eight years his junior. 

The French ambassador, Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, officially made the proposal on 25th November 1721. With the deal done, Mariana was installed at the Palais du Louvre in the care of Marie Anne de Bourbon, the intention being to raise her as a member of the French court until she reached a suitable age to marry. Mariana was a popular figure amongst the courtiers; bright, charming and too young to be part of the intrigues of court life, the only person who didn't seem enthralled by the little girl was her intended husband.

 Louis XV of France by Maurice Quentin de La Tour, 1748

For all her popularity, four years after her arrival in France, the young Infanta was to find her position usurped in a fairly dazzling bit of political manoeuvring by the ambitious Prime Minister, Louis Henri, duc de Bourbon. Mindful that an heir was needed sooner rather than later, Bourbon presented Louis with a list of almost 100 possible alternatives. The list included Bourbon's own sisters among others and, crucially, all the prospective brides were already of child-bearing age. Given the enormous offence the broken engagement might cause, the court breathed a sigh of relief at the news of the death of Louis I of Spain, after which the Spanish were keen to send the newly-widowed Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans home to France after her short marriage to the late King. Once more the deal was done; the French widow gladly returned to Paris and the now-unbethrothed Infanta went home to Madrid, eventually becoming the wife of Joseph I of Portugal.

Marie Leszczyńska by Alexis Simon Belle, 1730

As the politicians and court considered and discounted the names on the Prime Minister's list one by one, it eventually became apparent that the safest and most uncontroversial bet might just be 21 year old Marie Leszczyńska, daughter of the deposed king of Poland. With all parties in agreement a marriage by proxy took place on 15th August 1725, with Maria travelling to the ceremony at Château de Fontainebleau immediately after.

Louis XV of France by Hyacinthe Rigaud, 1730

Marie and Louis met for the first time on 4th September and were married the following day, both of them apparently enthusiastic participants. Marie proved herself hugely popular with the people of France but the court took against her, laughing at her looks, the reduced circumstances of her father and her apparent inability to produce an heir. However, the couple were happy at first and eventually had 10 children, though this domestic accord was not to last. Following the traumatic birth of her final child, Marie withdrew from her husband; left to his own devices, Louis sought companionship with a series of mistresses.

Marie Leszczyńska by Jean-Marc Nattier, 1748

One of these mistresses, Madame de Pompadour, has achieved lasting fame through history and is today better remembered than the queen herself. However, Marie maintained her dignity and the affection of the people to the end of her life, dedicating herself to her family and acts of charity. She and Louis would never rekindle their initially affectionate marriage, a somewhat sad end to a promising start.

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

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The Twins of Versailles: Louise Élisabeth and Henriette de France

Louise Élisabeth de France (Marie Louise Élisabeth, also known as Babette, Versailles, France, 14th August 1727 – Versailles, France, 6th December 1759) 

Henriette de France (Anne Henriette, also known as Madame Seconde, Versailles, France, 14th August 1727 – Versailles, France, 10th February 1752) 

Louise Élisabeth and Henriette de France by Pierre Gobert, 1737

From Meiningen to Versailles and a story of royal twin sisters, siblings to our previous leading lady, Louise-Marie de France. 

Louise Élisabeth and Henriette were the eldest daughters of Louis XV and Maria Leszczyńska; born and raised at Versailles, the girls remained at the Palace under the tutelage of Marie Isabelle de Rohan, duchesse de Tallard, and developed into charming and intelligent young ladies. 

As was the tradition among the Catholic royal houses of the day, Élisabeth was betrothed to the Infante Philip of Spain, son of King Philip V and Elizabeth of Parma. Believing that the young princess could make a better dynastic match, the French courtiers were not particularly enthused by the engagement but Louis was determined and the deal was struck.

A proxy marriage took place between Élisabeth and Philip on 26th August 1739, the twelve year old bride and nineteen year old groom having yet to meet. Before the month was out the heartbroken girl was dispatched to join her new husband at Alcalá de Henares, leaving her twin sister at home in France. Whilst Élisabeth's future had already been decided, Henriette was deeply in love with her cousin, Louis Philippe d'Orléans, duc de Chartres. The couple approached the King with dreams of marriage but they were rejected by Henriette's father and the young princess remained unmarried. Instead, Henriette threw herself into her passion for music, becoming a talented instrumentalist under the tutelage of noted musicians.

Madame Henriette playing the Viola da Gamba by Jean-Marc Nattier, 1754

Deeply unhappy at being parted from Henriette, Élisabeth's marriage was not a particularly happy one though the couple had three children together. After the bright and informal court of Versailles she found the Spanish court dour and her strict mother in law, Elizabeth of Parma, interfering and imperious. Following the War of Austrian Succession in 1748 Élisabeth and Philip were named as Duke and Duchess of Parma after lobbying by Louis XV. Despite the upheaval, Élisabeth must have been relieved when she was allowed to return to Versailles to thank her father for this new position and she was overjoyed to be reunited with her family in France.

However, things were not as rosy as they had once been at Versailles and the sisters were temporarily divided by the presence of their father's mistress, Madame de Pompadour.  Watching the King lavish attention on his lover at the expense of his wife, Henriette loathed the woman. However, when Élisabeth visited France, she and Mme de Pompadour became good friends. Happily they were reconciled before Élisabeth travelled on to Parma, though Henriette would never warm to the apparent interloper at Versailles.

The Family of Philip of Parma by Giuseppe Baldrighi, 1755

In 1749 Élisabeth  arrived at her new home in Parma and, free of her mother in law's interference, set about stamping her own style on the new court. She brought a touch of Versailles to Parma, redecorating the Ducal Palace of Colorno to reflect a more French aesthetic; gone were the austere traditions of the Spanish court, replaced by the sense of informal fun that she had so enjoyed throughout her childhood.

When Henriette died of smallpox in 1752 a distraught Élisabeth returned to Versailles once more and remained there for the better part of a year. The woman who had once been so terrified to leave her home returned to Parma with a new sense of ambition, this time building a dynasty of her own. Securing good marriages for her three children,  Élisabeth forged a close alliance with Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa, who promised her a European throne to call her own.

Portrait of Louise Élisabeth of France by Louis-Michel van Loo

In fact, Élisabeth would never achieve this lofty ambition and, during a visit to Versailles, contracted smallpox. She died in her childhood home on 6th December 1759. She was laid to rest beside her beloved sister at the Basilica of Saint-Denis, the twins reunited at last. 

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

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