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‘The Toilette of Mademoiselle de Montpensier’ by Charles Landseer R.A. (1799-1879).
The painting – which depicts the future King Charles II and Queen Henrietta Maria of England assisting the ‘Le Grande Mademoiselle’ Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans at her dressing table – was exhibited at the Royal Academy 1848. Known throughout France as 'Le Grande Mademoiselle', the Duchess de Montpensier was one of the greatest heiresses in history and found herself at the centre of countless intrigues and scandals at the court of King Louis XIII. When she died, unmarried and childless in 1693, Mademoiselle de Montpensier left her vast fortune to her cousin Philippe I, the Duke d’Orléans, younger brother of King Louis XIV. The painting is presented in its original carved giltwood frame.
Landseer was commissioned to paint the picture by the Victorian textile magnate John Burton Philips and it has hung in the library of the family mansion, Heath House in Staffordshire, for the past 174 years (see accompanying images).
All our paintings are offered in the finest condition they can be for their age having been newly professionally cleaned, conserved and re-varnished. Clients should also note that tracked and signed for international shipping is complimentary.
Charles Landseer entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1816 where he was taught by Henry Fuseli R.A. (1741-1825). Landseer found great success with his literary and historical scenes that were characterised by their fine execution and historical accuracy. Between 1922 and 1879 he exhibited 73 paintings at the Royal Academy, 26 at the British Institution, and 11 with the Royal Society of British Artists at the Suffolk Street Gallery. Charles Landseer became an associate in of the Royal Academy in 1837 and a full academician in 1845. Between 1851 and 1873 he held the prestigious position of Keeper of the Royal Academy.
Dimensions: (framed) 110cm x 97cm (43½” x 38”)
Dimensions: (canvas only) 78cm x 64cm (30½” x 25”)
Medium: Oil on canvas.
Provenance: Circa 1845, commissioned from Charles Landseer by John Burton Philips of Heath House. Delivery of the painting was noted in Mrs Philips' diary: "Henrietta Maria of England & The Prince of Wales assisting in the toilette of Mlle de Montpensier, painted by C. Landseer’.
Exhibited in the Royal Academy 1848 (no. 191).
Literature: January 1963, feature article in Country Life magazine.
Presentation: Fine quality original mid-19th century carved and gilded exhibition frame.
Condition: Very good. Newly professionally cleaned, restored, and re-varnished. Ready to hang.