3-097-977 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Queen Marie Louise of Orleans, with roses in her right hand, 1685-1690. Alternative title: Portrait of Marie Louise d'Orléans. Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Orléans and Stuart (1662-1689) was the first wife of King Charles II of Spain, whom she married in 1679. This work was probably painted shortly after her arrival at the Madrid court. The French-born queen, already dressed in Spanish attire, appears standing next to a large curtain with a small bouquet of roses in her right hand. The symbolic reference to the Spanish Monarchy is conveyed by the presence of the bronze lion supporting the writing desk on which the queen is leaning. In the mere ten years that Maria Luisa of Orléans resided in Spain, she amassed a collection of over 150 paintings. This collection of paintings, with its clear political intent, much of which is now housed in the Prado Museum, increased the presence and influence of the French school at the Spanish court. During the last years of her life, Marie Louise became overweight. She was reportedly fond of sweetened lemon and cinnamon drinks, the making of which required 32 pounds of sugar. After horseback riding on 11 February 1689, she experienced abdominal pain followed by convulsions and vomiting. She died the following night, aged 26.