Maria Luisa of Parma
by MENGS, Anton Raphael, Oil on canvas, 48 x 38 cm
Maria Luisa of Parma was the wife of Charles IV, King of Spain (1788-1808) during the turbulent period of the French Revolution. Lacking qualities of leadership himself, Charles entrusted the government (1792) to Manuel de Godoy, a prot�g� (and lover) of the queen, Maria Luisa.
The unfinished painting, showing the young princess at the age of 15, is a study, the final painting is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.