If this is indeed a portrait of the young Louis, duc de Bourgogne (16 August 1682 - 23 February 1712) - and, as the first born legitimate grandson of the "Sun King", Louis XIV, the iconography would be exactly right - it would have to have been painted no later than about 1692 when the prince was ten years old. Though considered a studio work, the painting is wonderfully fresh and lively. I love the way the silver embroidery plays along the edge of the remarkably beautiful drapery. And then the color! The way the light streams through the various layers of that gorgeous silk fabric, the color saturating and reflecting onto the skin tones, is just exquisite.
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| In the background, look to be a clutch of Muses, along with Apollo's half-sister Athena... |
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| ... and in the distance, Pegasus. |
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