Louis Michel van Loo (1707-1771) and workshop Portrait of the Dauphin

Portrait of the Dauphin of France, eldest son of Louis XV, circa 1760.

Relined canvas, 81 cm x 64 cm.
Antique frame, 95 cm x 80 cm.

Portrait of Louis of France, eldest son of Louis XV and Queen Marie Leszczynska, who would have become the future Louis XVI had he not died prematurely in 1765 at the age of 36. He therefore never reigned, but he is the father of three kings of France: Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, and Charles X. Our portrait is a very fine workshop version. The Van Loo family painted several versions or workshop replicas of the Dauphin, intended for embassies, allied courts, government offices, and noble families who desired an official portrait. Portraits were very often executed in part or in large part by the workshop, except for those intended for sovereigns or commissioned by the state.

Louis Michel van Loo (1707–1771),

a member of the van Loo dynasty established in France in the 17th century, studied under his father, the painter Jean-Baptiste van Loo, in Turin and Rome. He won the prize of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1725 with his painting of the Infant Moses Dropping Pharaoh's Crown. He then stayed in Rome from 1727 to 1732 with his uncle, the painter Charles André van Loo (1705–1765). In 1736, following the death of his predecessor Jean Ranc, he became the official court painter to Philip V of Spain in Madrid, and was among the founders of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in 1752. In 1753, he returned to France and painted several portraits of Louis XV and his entourage. In 1765, he succeeded his uncle Carle as director of the School for Protected Students. He was the brother of the painters François van Loo and Charles Amédée van Loo.