Fan Painting of a theorbist (possibly Robert de Visée?)

in the chambre of Henriette-Anne, wife of the Duc D'Orléans

I came across the above fan painting [a higher resolution jpg can be found here] in a book entitled Love and Louis XIV ~ The Women in the Life of The Sun King [Antonia Fraser, Phoenix 2006] and thought it worthy of attention. The original fan is in the Collection: Sylvain Lévy-Alban, although the book gives no indication of where that might be. Nor does the author supply a title other than "Henriette-Anne, Duchess d'Orléans, at her toilette, depicted on a fan from the 1660s." The accuracy of date is open to conjecture, but it is to be noted that the Duchess died in 1670 at the age of 26 years.

My immediate impression (or hope) was that here was a portrait (there are no others) of Robert de Visée, who dedicated his Pieces de Theorbe et de Luth of 1716 to Monseigneur Le Duc D'Orléans. Unfortunately the dates do not quite 'add up'. The Duc whom de Visée refers to must have been Philippe II, son of the husband of Henriette-Anne, Phillipe I, who died in 1701. But at least there is a connection between Robert de Visée and the family of Louis XIV's brother, the Duc D'Orléans.

We do not know for sure when de Visée was born - 1650 is often taken as a good approximation. Assuming for a moment the fan was painted in 1670 (the year the Duchess died), de Visée would have been in his late teens or early twenties. His first publication, Livre de Guitarre, Dedié Au Roy, was published in 1682, when he was in his early thirties.

It is then possible that the figure in the painting is a young Robert de Visée. I freely admit to not being an expert in this area, and hope that those who know facts which have escaped me could get in touch and I would include their comments on this page. And if not Robert de Visée, who is it?

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The picture is most interesting in that it depicts a possible commonplace, domestic scene, albeit in the chambre of a Princess. Henriette-Anne was born in 1644, youngest daugher of Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France. They fled to France during the time of Cromwell, and the child was raised at the French Court, her brother-in-law being the Dauphin, Louis, the future Sun King. A brief outline of her life can be found here.

The theorbist is seated in the centre of the room, in a fairly relaxed pose, possibly playing one of the fashionable dances so loved by Henriette-Anne, herself regarded as the finest dancer at court. While sewing a tapestry, the princess listens carelessly while a maid attends to her hair. There are a couple of other attendants, and a couple of dogs. The whole scene is one of relaxation. Despite this, the theorbist is in full wig and costume, as befits a court musician.

It is difficult to see with any clarity the theorbo, but it does appear to be the smaller, theorbe de pieces, rather than the larger continuo instrument. My eyes may be deceiving me, but the neck extension seems a little more complex than most pictures of French theorbos or angéliques. Again, if you have information, please get in touch (robmackillop@gmail.com).

Rob MacKillop
12 August, 2007

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