Margaret of Lorraine, Duchess of Orléans

Margaret, a very self-possessed teenager of the ducal family of Lorraine, married Gaston d’Orl�ans, the oldest surviving brother of Louis XIII of France, in 1632. Full-length portraits were reserved for royalty and the highest nobility; the curtain, in royal red, adds movement and indirectly calls attention to the rich black fabric of the princess’s dress.