All posts tagged: monarch

Keeping it in the family

Published by The Dreamstress

I’ve blogged about the royal family of Portugal before, and while researching that post, I came across one of the common problems with European nobility.  The thing is, there just weren’t enough of them on speaking terms in each generation, so the ones that were on speaking terms tended to marry each other, leading to a lot of inbreeding. So back to the Portugese royal family.  Joseph I of Portugal (6 June 1714 –  24 February 1777) had four daughters, two of whom, Maria I of Portugal (December 17, 1734 — March 20, 1816)  and Benedita, Princess of Brazil(25 July 1746 — 18 August 1829), married. Maria, then Crown Princess, married her uncle, Pedro III of Portugal (5 July 1717 — 25 May 1786) on 1760, when she was 25 and he was 43. Nice. It gets worse though. Seventeen years later, Maria’s youngest sister Benedita, then thirty,  married her fifteen year old cousin, who was also her nephew, as he was the child of Maria and Pedro. Eeeg. Sadly, but mercifully, and certainly not …

Does anyone know the subject/date/artist of this painting?

Published by The Dreamstress

It’s turned up a couple of times on the icanhascheezburger network, but of course, they don’t provide any background information on the artwork. It’s clearly mid-late 18th century, and she is clearly an important royal, but other than that I’m at a loss.  I feel I have seen it before, but I can’t quite place where. The outfit is fascinating and I’d love to be able to research it a bit further.  The elaborately decorated skirt (is it painted or embroidered?), the portrait on her wrist, the fichu at the neckline – so many pretty details begging to be seen and examined! Any information is much appreciated!