3-097-660 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Mariana of Neuburg, Queen Consort of Spain, 1700. Queen Mariana of Neuburg (1667-1740) is depicted full-length in a gallery overlooking a landscape. In her right hand, she holds a folded fan, while her left arm rests on a red marble tabletop, upon which sits a cushion bearing the crown and sceptre, signifying her royal status, as do the red curtains and the column visible behind her. Barely six months after the sudden death of Marie Louise of Orléans, who had failed to produce the long-awaited heir to ensure the continuation of the dynasty, Charles II married Mariana. In a context where securing a successor to the throne was of paramount importance, the fact that the new queen's mother had given birth to seventeen children seemed to guarantee success. However, the marriage would not produce offspring, and this would mark the end of the Spanish branch of the House of Austria.