Marie Leczinska

Marie Leczinska (1703-1768), princess of Poland, queen consort of France (1725-1768), daughter of King Stanislaw Leszczynski of Poland (later Duke of Lorraine) and Katarzyna Opalinska, born near Trzebnica, in Silesia. Stanislaw focused on his daughter's education while in exil, which lead them from Stockholm to Wissembourg in Alsace.

In February 1725, young Louis XV  fell sick once again and the prime minister of the kingdom, the Duke of Bourbon, worried that his rival, the Duke of Orleans, son of the late Regent might access the throne. He sent back Louis XVth young fiancé, the infanta Mary-Ann of Spain and had State secretary Fleuriau de Morville establish a list of suitable matches. Marie Leczinska was on this list, although she had first been thought of as a possible wife for the Duke of Bourbon. She has nothing to bring to France but the duke of Bourbon and his mistress the marquise de Prie Marie hoped she would be grateful to them once in power.

Marie Leczinska and Louis XV were married in Fontainebleau on the 5th of Septembre 1725. Many rumors preceeded her, that she was ugly, Polish, steril, dull, an old maid - at the age of 22 (the King was 15). However Marie spoke six languages, danced gracefully and had received a full education. The first years of the mariage were happy. Louis XV, when 23 years old, became bored with Marie exhausted from her many pregnancies (10). The king took a mistress, the Countess of Mailly, who became the famous marquise de Pompadour. Unfamiliar with the court etiquette Marie had also lacked tack in showing an interest in politics, which did not please the King. In 1726, when she called the King to interfere on behalf of the Duke of Bourbon was falling out of grace, she lost all political influence over her husband. Slowly, Louis XV who had sincerly loved his queen, neglected her completely. She remained however very attached to him.

Marie Leczinska lived in Versailles, surrounded by an intimate group of courtisans, with her own salon like those in vogue at the time, adapting to the morals and customs of the Court, playing her role and enjoying a degree of freedom unknown to any other Queen of France. She loved music and painting, painting aquarels herself - one of her paintings "a farm" is in Versailles. She invited Farinelli, the castrato, to Versailles in 1737 who gave her music lessons, as well as inviting the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartin 1764. The people refered to her as the "good queen" because of her philanthropy, her goodness and her generosity towards the needy.

photo : Portrait of Marie Leczinska, Louis Toqué, 1740, Louvre museum. 

Louis Tocqué (1696-1772) student of Nicolas Bertin and Hyacinthe Rigaud, before joining the Academy, August 13th 1731. Between 1737 and 1759, he sent fifty portraits to the Academy exhibit. Son in law of  Jean-Marc Nattier, he was, along with Largillière, one of High Society's the favorite painters. In 1757, Empress Elisabeth of Russia invited him to her court, where he lived two years and painted her portrait. He then painted portraits of the King and Queen of Denmar, before traveling through the courts of Europe where he was always well received.

Dating from 1740, this portrait of Marie Leczinska standing in full Royal dress, is preserved in the Louvre. Marie Leczinska wears her coronation cape over a dress with an Indian motif. Her right had points to her crown placed on a cushion adorned with fleur de lys. The purple pulled back curtains give a theatrical atmosphere to the rich architectural decor, with gilded wood console and armchair, suited for a Queen.