French school of the 18th century. Allegory of... Lot 10

French school of the 18th century. Allegory of the birth of the Duke of Brittany. Oil on parchment (restorations). The Dolphin represented in an allegorical scene lying in a scallop shell surrounded by cherubs bearing the arms of Bretagn under the ducal crown from which the Order of the Holy Spirit escapes. It surmounts its Latin title: "Britanniae duci". Posterior giltwood frame. H. 14 x W. 31.5 cm (at sight). On the back a handwritten text: "This portrait of the little Dauphin was bought by me from Baron de Specht who claims to be related to Prince Richard de Matternich Winnebourg, former Austrian ambassador in Paris. I reframed the portrait on April 5, 1911. This prince, Louis, grandson of France or rather great-grandson, was born on Wednesday June 25, 1704 in Versailles. The King gave him the title of Duke of Brittany. The next day a Te Deum was sung in Versailles and Paris. Louis XIV regarded this birth as a highly visible sign of divine protection. I am all the more sensitive to it," wrote Louis XIV to the Archbishop of Paris, "as it is without example in any of my predecessors and perpetuates the happiness of my states by this long succession of kings that it assures them. This prince died on April 13, 1705. He was the first son of Louis the Duke of Burgundy. He was buried with great pomp in Saint-Denis on 15 April 1705. But on Tuesday 15 October 1793 his body was removed from the royal vault of Saint-Denis and thrown, together with that of his puiné brother, second son of the Duke of Burgundy, who also bore the title of Duke of Brittany, into the common grave dug for this purpose. The latter prince was born in Versailles on 8 January 1707 and died on 8 March 1712. Following this death, Louis XIV had no other presumptive successor than a two-year-old child who became King under the name of Louis XV. Paris on 5 April 1913. H.G. Fromm, Editor of the Universe." ATTACHED is a work in camel calf entitled "Les amuseme