Lot 1652 , John Raphael Smith after Sir Joshua Reynolds, mezzotint, 'His Most Serene Highness Louis Philippe, Joseph, Duke of Orleans, 1st Prince of the Blood Royal of France ...', published by Smith 1786, visible sheet 68 x 48cm

John Raphael Smith after Sir Joshua Reynolds, mezzotint, 'His Most Serene Highness Louis Philippe, Joseph, Duke of Orleans, 1st Prince of the Blood Royal of France ...', published by Smith 1786, visible sheet 68 x 48cm
£100-150
Louis Philippe II (1747 – 1793), was a major French noble who supported the French Revolution.
Louis Philippe II was born at the Château de Saint-Cloud to Louis Philippe I, Duke of Chartres, and Louise Henriette de Bourbon. He was titled Duke of Montpensier at birth. When his grandfather Louis, Duke of Orléans, died in 1752, his father became the new Duke of Orléans and Louis Philippe II became Duke of Chartres. When his father died in 1785, he became Duke of Orléans and First Prince of the Blood. He was styled as Serene Highness.

In 1792, during the Revolution, Louis Philippe changed his name to Philippe Égalité. He was a cousin of King Louis XVI and one of the wealthiest men in France. He actively supported the Revolution of 1789, and was a strong advocate for the elimination of the present absolute monarchy in favor of a constitutional monarchy. Louis Philippe voted for the death of Louis XVI; however, he was himself guillotined in 1793 during the Reign of Terror. His son, also named Louis Philippe, became King of the French after the July Revolution of 1830. After Louis Philippe II, the term Orléanist came to be attached to the movement in France that favoured a constitutional monarchy.

Sold for £90