English: So-called Portrait of Marie Angélique de Scorailles, duchess of Fontanges (1661-1681), but is probably a depiction of Marie Anne de Bourbon (1666-1739) (compare with images below)

"The one we present here is a portrait halfway between baroque and rococo, with a still sumptuous and scenographic conception. On this occasion we see the Duchess of Fontanges depicted half-length, elegantly attired in rich fabrics, combining velvet, embroidery and brocade on her dress. She looks directly at the viewer and wraps her left arm around a little white-furred dog. The rest of the materials demonstrate the painter's taste for portraying qualities, creating a subtle and delicate image that harmonises with the sitter's social status. Marie Angelique de Scorailles (1661 - 1681), known as the Duchesse de Fontanges, was a French noblewoman and one of the many mistresses of King Louis XIV of France. She came to the attention of the Sun King and became his mistress in 1679. She died probably as a result of complications from childbirth.

This work can be related to the circle of the painter Jean Gobert, who became a respected painter at the French court during the end of Louis XIV's reign. He was particularly noted as a portraitist of the great ladies of the court, as evidenced by the large number of his surviving portraits. After working in Munich, in 1701 he was admitted to the Académie Royale de Peinture et Sculpture as a portraitist and in 1724 was elected to its board of directors. His portraits of court personalities at Versailles include the future Louis XV as a child, a portrait that can be seen in the Museo del Prado in Madrid." [1]