Equestrian portrait of Philippe of Orleans, workshop of Pierre Mignard

Our portrait depicts Philippe of France dressed in the Roman style and leading a charge of cavalry.
The young prince in the center of the picture is mounted on a prancing white horse, as a leopard skin saddle, feet dressed in sandals laced at the ankles, mounts without stirrups, natural and princely port.
He is dressed in a cuirass with metallic reflections and a cape flowing in the wind, a skirt with leather straps, and gaiters.
With his right arm outstretched to display his staff of command, sword at waist, the young prince proudly gazes at the viewer, holding his horse's harness in his left hand.
His figure stands out against the backdrop of an autumnal landscape with the sky with pink shades.
Dimensions: canvas: h. 80 cm, l. 98 cm
Louis XIV style giltwood frame
Framed: h. 93 cm, l. 112 cm
Late 17th century French school, workshop of Pierre Mignard (Troyes, 1612 - Paris, 1695)

Our painting is a workshop variant of Pierre Mignard, the original version of which was executed in 1694. This first painting was moreover a work very close to the equestrian portrait of Louis XIV that Mignard painted in 1674. This unique typology combining a generally Roman disguise and a classical equestrian portrait were reserved only for the king. However, Louis XIV gave permission to reuse this staging for Philippe d´Orleans, and once completed had the equestrian portrait of his nephew hung in front of his at the Palace of Versailles.
Replicas from Mignard’s studio of Philippe d’Orleans are very rare, as are generally portraits of the future regent in his youth. Our painting is thus one of the rare variants of his equestrian portrait executed for the Palace of Versailles.