M. Schmitz

You’d find M. Schmitz in an upstairs hallway, quietly finishing a portrait while the children play at her feet. She painted Louise de La Vallière—not the sunlit saint of legends—but a woman half-turned, her tired eyes meeting yours over a toddler’s head. Look for the way Schmitz lets the lamplight pool on the lace collar while the room stays dim; it’s like she held a candle behind the scene so you’d see the truth before the glamour. Track down Portrait of Louise de La Vallière and her children and see for yourself.