José García Hidalgo: Portrait of Marie Louise of Orléans (1679)

(Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain)

A painting by the Spanish artist José García Hidalgo (1645 or 1646-1717 or 1719). Marie Louise of Orléans (1662 – 1689) was the eldest daughter of Philippe, Duke of Orléans, the younger brother of king Louis XIV of France and of his first wife, Henrietta Anne of England. In an effort to induce better relations between France and Spain, she married in 1679 with king Charles II of Spain. Although Charles II was in love with Marie Louise, the strict etiquette of the Spanish Court (e.g., touching the Queen was forbidden) and the King's mental and physical infirmities caused her distress. The couple was married for ten years and had no children. Marie Louise died in 1689, probably from appendicitis. Painting from 1679.