Louise de Keroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth

Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kéroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth and Aubigny (1649–1734), was born to an ancient, provincial (and impoverished) aristocratic family from Brittany. She first came to England in 1670 as Maid of Honour to Charles II’s sister, Henrietta Anne, Duchess of Orléans, who was a major supporter of the French, and therefore Catholic, cause. The fresh cheeks and pert young lips of the young maid of honour immediately attracted the King’s attention, and when his sister asked Charles which of her many priceless gems she should leave behind as a token of her visit, he indicated Louise de Kéroualle, saying she was the only jewel he coveted.

Henri Gascard portrays Louise resplendent in formal court attire, denoting the reputation of the French as arbiters of style. Her stiffened bodice and skirt are of silk brocade lamé, woven with metallic threads in the warp to create an iridescent effect. Louise cradles a King Charles spaniel, its paw threaded artfully between her fingers. Her gesture towards a rose draws attention to her motto, ‘En la rose je fleuris – As a rose I flower’. And indeed she did, for after giving birth to the King’s son, Charles, Duke of Richmond in 1673, Louise was granted the title Duchess of Portsmouth. Nicknamed Fubs because of her chubby cheeks, she was much loved by the King, who remained patient of the huge debts she constantly ran up.

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