Re-canvas of 102 cm by 92 cm
Sumptuous old frame measuring 137 cm by 127 cm
Certainly an official portrait of Louis de France, eldest son of Louis He was therefore unable to reign but he is the father of three kings of France: Louis XVI; Louis XVIII and Charles The Dauphin wears an outfit very similar to that worn by his father, Louis XV, in many paintings by the van Loos, notably Carle van Loo and Jean Baptiste van Loo.
Louis Michel van Loo (1707; 1771)
Coming from the van Loo dynasty established in France in the 17th century, Louis Michel Van Loo studied under the direction of his father, the painter Jean Baptiste van Loo, in Turin and Rome. He won the prize of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1725 with his Moses as a child bringing down the Pharaoh's crown. He then stayed in Rome from 1727 to 1732 with his uncle, the painter Charles Andre Van Loo (1705; 1765). In 1736, he became the official court painter of Philip V of Spain in Madrid following the death of his predecessor Jean Ranc, and was among the founders of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in 1752. In 1753, he returned to France and painted several portraits of Louis XV and his entourage. In 1765, he succeeded his uncle Carle as director of the School for Protected Students. He is the brother of the painters François van Loo and Charles Amédée van Loo.