Subasta Especial de Arte Colonial y Alta Época
Oil on canvas, measures: 81 x 63 cm. Frameless. Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan (1640 –1707), was the daughter of Gabriel de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Duke of Mortemart, and Diana de Grandseigne. Françoise, who later called herself Athénaïs, studied at the Saintes convent. In 1658, after finishing her studies, she left the convent under the name of Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente. Shortly after arriving at the French court, thanks to the intervention of Anne of Austria, the young woman was placed at the service of Henrietta Anne of England, sister-in-law of Louis XIV. As the official favorite of the monarch, the Marquise de Montespan settled in Versailles and created a ‘court’ within the court. She managed to develop around her an environment of luxury, pleasures and activities of all kinds. arts lover, it protected such illustrious personalities as Molière, La Fontaine or the poet Philippe Quinault. Origin: Madrid private collection, Barrio de Salamanca. Acquired in the Spanish art market in the 70s.
