3-097-993 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Philip of France, 1st Duke of Orléans, 1675. Philippe de Bourbon (1640-1701), 1st Duke of Orléans, was the second son of Louis XIII of France and the Spanish Infanta Anne of Austria. He was the father of Marie Louise d'Orléans (1662-1689), Queen of Spain upon her marriage to Charles II. He is depicted in a half-length portrait, in a gold suit of armour, with a red cloak draped over his shoulder, holding a general's baton in his left hand, while pointing with his right towards the battlefield, where the clash of cavalry is visible. It is noteworthy that he does not wear the blue sash of the Order of the Holy Spirit, the highest distinction of the French Crown, a privilege granted to Princes of the Blood and the legitimized descendants of the House of Bourbon at the age of 15, thus clearly demonstrating dynastic lineage. Nor does he wear the white sash denoting military command.