Portrait Of Louis Alexandre De Bourbon, Comte De Toulouse 

Jean-François de Troy painted this portrait of Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, the Count of Toulouse, sometime in the early 18th century. Illegitimate son of Louis XIV and his mistress Madame de Montespan, the young Count is depicted here as a child, attended by a servant, a common trope for the time. What strikes me most is the contrast between the Count’s rich blue and gold clothing, indicative of his noble status, and the barely-there presence of his servant. Consider the implications of race and class in this dynamic. The servant, likely of African descent, is relegated to the margins, his identity and humanity overshadowed by his role in serving the Count. What does it mean to grow up as a biracial child in the French aristocracy? I invite you to reflect on the complexities of identity, power, and representation in this painting, and to consider the untold stories of those who, like the servant, were often rendered invisible in the narratives of history.