Margaret of Lorraine, Duchess of Orléans by DYCK, Sir Anthony van

DYCK, Sir Anthony van

(b. 1599, Antwerpen, d. 1641, London)

	Margaret of Lorraine, Duchess of Orléans c. 1634 Oil on canvas, 204 x 117 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
Margaret, a very self-possessed teenager of the ducal family of Lorraine, married Gaston d'Orléans, the oldest surviving brother of Louis XIII of France, in 1632. Full-length portraits were reserved for royalty and the highest nobility; the curtain, in royal red, adds movement and indirectly calls attention to the rich black fabric of the princess's dress.