Anne of Austria, mother of Louis XIV, by the Beaubrun brothers

The young Infanta of Spain, Anne of Austria, eldest daughter of Philip III, married Louis XIII in 1615 and became Queen of France. However, she had to wait until 1638, after twenty-three years of marriage, to give birth to the future Louis XIV. Motherhood marked a major turning point in Anne of Austria’s life, in that she acquired the status of mother to the heir to the throne, though this did little to improve her relationship with Louis XIII. On the king’s death in 1643, Louis XIV was only four years old, and Anne of Austria had to assume the regency of the Kingdom of France. As a widow and the king’s mother, she fiercely defended her son’s authority whilst relying on Cardinal Mazarin to exercise sovereign authority.

From 1643 onwards, portraits of Anne of Austria took on political significance due to her regency. It is for this reason that she is often depicted as a royal widow, always in association with the king – whether deceased or a minor – in order to reinforce the legitimacy of royal power, which had been weakened by Louis XIV’s minority. The portrait by the Beaubrun brothers, in full royal regalia, now held at Versailles, thus aims to reinforce the legitimacy of Anne of Austria’s exercise of power as regent. The symbols of majesty signify Anne of Austria’s place amongst the reigning sovereigns, without it being necessary to depict her alongside her son. The second portrait of the Beaubrun brothers, now in the collection at Versailles, depicts her as the widow of Louis XIII – a common theme in royal portraiture during the regency.

The painting held at the Château de Cadillac features the same three-quarter profile, but this time presents a partly natural setting, with her dressed in rich court attire and holding a cameo in her left hand, in line with the pearls, in reference to the conventions of court portraiture established by Frans Pourbus (Karlsruhe, Staatliche Kunsthalle). Here, the queen is sumptuously dressed, her gown literally covered in pearls, echoing the pearl necklace – one of the most popular pieces of jewellery amongst the aristocracy since the 1630s. This painting, like those held at Versailles, popularises the ‘à la garcette’ hairstyle, of Spanish origin: a flat hairstyle with a fine, curled fringe, a bun worn on top of the head, and tiered curls at the sides. This fashion endured from the 1630s to the 1660s. The absence of any reference to mourning suggests that the portrait was painted before the death of Louis XIII.

The Beaubrun brothers, from a family of^17th-century French portraitists, were painters to the king and, as such, produced numerous official portraits. Their meticulous and refined style was inspired by the Dutch manner, with a solemn air that was undoubtedly influenced by Frans Pourbus the Younger. Although the overall influence of the Northern school is significant, the result runs counter to pure realism: on the contrary, it is an idealised female ideal that is portrayed in all their portraits of women. A comparison of the three paintings reveals a certain rigidity in the pose and composition of the works by the Beaubruns and their workshop. An initial model was likely used for subsequent versions, with only the setting and symbolic objects varying.