THE REAL LOUIS XV—by Maurice Quentin De La Tour c. 1751 Louis XV died in 1774, and according to historical records from 1775, he had a Swarthy skin complexion...
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“Lewis XV was the handsomest youth in France, he had a swarthy complexion” SOURCE; (J. Dodsley, "The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History, Politics, and Literature for the Year 1774"; 1775) The word Swarthy or Swart derives from ‘Schwarz’ or ‘Schwartz’ which means “to be black; black man, and negro SOURCE; (Flügel-Schmidt-Tanger, a Dictionary of the English and German Languages for Home and School; 1905) Complexion = the natural color, texture, and appearance of a person's SKIN especially of the face. These portraits of Louis XV are now titled: “Portrait of a young negro" and “Portrait of a Negro Buttoning his Shirt” They were both painted by Maurice Quentin De La Tour in 1751... In 1750, Maurice Quentin De La Tour became the official Court Painter for Louis XV... Only Aristocratic and middle class to upper class families could afford commissioned portraits... The subject must be notable if a portrait was commissioned... Historically, portrait paintings have primarily memorialized the rich and powerful, not slaves or servants... A painted portrait was often seen as a luxury, they were painted for special occasions and important people... In a society dominated increasingly by secular leaders in powerful courts, images of opulently attired figures were a means to affirm the authority of important individuals... Please note; In the arts, Idealism encourages imagination and attempts to realize a mental conception of beauty, a standard of perfection, juxtaposed to naturalism and realism… In painting, idealism refers to the tradition of creating a "perfect" figure - one with a “goodlooking” face, “perfect” hair, a “good” body shape and no outward blemishes of any kind, rarely if ever painted or drawn from life... Essentially, it’s an "artificial" style of painting, that bears no resemblance to naturalism (caricature) A surprising number of people, do not understand that Museum Art, Movies, and Television, reflect what is called "Artistic license" It is a colloquial term, or euphemism, used to denote the DISTORTION OF FACT... Beginning during the 19th century and even earlier, Caucasian artists took to depicting historical people, as they hoped or imagined them to look... And in doing so, they made EVERYONE White, but that is not reality... “Louis XIV [had] arched eyebrows, aquiline nose, and [a] BROWN complexion” SOURCE; (James Peller Malcom, "Londinium Redivivum Or an Ancient History and Modern Description of London, Compiled from Parochial Records, Archives of Various Foundations, the Harleian Mss. and Other Authentic Sources"; 1802) We are also told that the skin on his WELL PRESERVED corpse was as black as ink... “Louis XIV was also in good preservation, but his skin was as BLACK as ink” SOURCE; (Sir Richard Phillips, "The Monthly Magazine" Vol.13; 1802) To be clear, there is no question that Mummified skin can darken after being exposed to air.... But at the same time, as relates to the level of darkness: where you end up, is dependent on where you began.... “Louis XIV's swarthy complexion and prominent nose were typically Bourbon" SOURCE; (Richard Wilkinson, "Louis XIV") Complexion = the natural color, texture, and appearance of a person's SKIN (not hair) especially of the face. “He [Louis XIV] also had a daughter who was not acknowledged...There was a nun in the Abbaye de Moret who was supposed to be his daughter. She was EXTREMELY SWARTHY, and otherwise resembled him” SOURCE; (Voltaire, “The Age of Louis XIV.: To which is Added, an Abstract of The Age of Louis XV”; 1780) “Some people suspected, and not without reason, that a certain lady in the abbey of Moret was Louis's daughter. She was VERY BROWN, and resembled him in every other respect” SOURCE; (Thomas Pike Lathy, “Memoirs of the Court of Louis XIV. Comprising Biography and Anecdotes of the Most Celebrated Characters of that Period, Styled the Augustan Era of France. In Three Volumes.; 1819)
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