When I posted this weeks rate the dress, I was aware that numerous French queens had been painted in dark blue dresses with fleur de lys patterns, and intended to do a whole post about the trend.  Then the Lady of Portland House pointed out that the dresses in some of the paintings are very similar. Too similar.  In fact, I think they are the same dress. Fascinatingly, it looks like Marie de Medici, the Mother in Law of Anne, may have been painted in the dress first: And then Anne immediately seized on the idea, and had her own portrait done in the dress, only she got Rubens to do it, so it looked better than Maria’s version (what a way to up your mother in law!). Maria got her revenge in two ways. First, she commissioning Rubens to do an entire series celebrating her life, struggles and triumphs, including a coronation scene with her wearing the dress, painted at the same time as Anne’s portrait. And second, she commissioned a (very flattering and …