Portrait of Henrique de Menezes, third Marquis of Louriçal, and his family

Signed: “Noirdemange”. Portrait representing the third Marquis of Louriçal, Dom Henrique de Menezes (1727-1787), and his family in a winter garden. The marquis is seated on a garden bench, accompanied by his wife, Dona Maria da Glória da Cunha e Menezes and their children. He displays the Order of the Golden Fleece and the Order of Christ on his chest, which made his identification possible (Inês Ferro, 1988). This family portrait is enclosed in a red leather frame. Dom Henrique de Menezes (1727-1787) was the “Gentil-Homem da Câmara” of Queen Dona Maria I, and Minister Plenipotentiary in Turin and Rome. He was sent to Madrid, as an ambassador, in 1785, and given the task of negotiating the terms of the marriages between the princes of Portugal and Spain, Dom João and Don Gabriel and the princesses Carlota Joaquina and Maria Ana Vitória, respectively.