Artwork

Ana Maria de Orleans, soția regelui Victor Amedeu al II-lea de Savoia (în registrulinventar: „Soția regelui Emanuel al Sardiniei”); pandant: Victor Amedeu al II-lea, regele Savoiei

Ana Maria de Orleans, soția regelui Victor Amedeu al II-lea de Savoia (în registrulinventar: „Soția regelui Emanuel al Sardiniei”); pandant: Victor Amedeu al II-lea, regele Savoiei is an unspecified painting by the Baroque artist Martin Meytens cel Tânăr. It dates from 1728 and is held in the collection of the Brukenthal National Museum.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1728 by the court painter Martin Meytens the Younger, this oil portrait depicts Anne Marie d’Orléans, consort of Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy. Rendered against a dark backdrop, the composition centers the queen in sumptuous attire, emphasizing her status and the painter’s skill in rendering texture and light.

Subject & Meaning

The sitter is shown in a formal pose, her gaze meeting the viewer with a composed seriousness. She wears a blue gown trimmed with white fur, a red‑and‑white shawl, a pearl necklace, and a crown, symbols of her royal rank and the dynastic alliance between the French and Savoyard houses.

Technique & Style

Meytens employs chiaroscuro to model the figure, allowing the illuminated fabrics and jewels to emerge from the shadowed background. The delicate rendering of fur, silk, and pearls demonstrates the painter’s meticulous brushwork and his adherence to the Rococo court portrait conventions of the early eighteenth century.

History & Provenance

The work was originally catalogued as “Soția regelui Emanuel al Sardiniei” and later identified as a pendant to a portrait of Victor Amadeus II. It has remained within the Savoyard collection, passing through successive royal inventories before entering the museum’s holdings.

Context

Anne Marie d’Orléans, a French princess, married Victor Amadeus II in 1684, strengthening political ties between France and Savoy. Portraits such as this served both as personal commemorations and as diplomatic statements of legitimacy and alliance within European courts.