Portrait of the week

I love this portrait of Princess Marie-Louise Thérèse of Savoy-Carignan, painted by Joseph Duplessis, it’s adorable. But reading a little about her made me question the motif. Is it an authentic portrait? Or just a part of the anti-royal propaganda of the time?  

Marie-Louise was unhappily married for a year as a teenager, and later became one of Queen Marie-Antoinette’s best friends. When it came to personal matter she was very private, and there was no gossip concerning her. But critics of the monarchy regularly portrayed her in less flattering ways, insinuating she had a lesbian affaire de coeur with the Queen.  
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Who is the receiver of this portrait?

Joseph Duplessis, last quarter of the 18th century, ​Marie Louise Thérèse de Savoie de Carignan, Princesse de Lamballe.

Why do I like this portrait so much?

First of all; I like portraits of women (see previous post on “Kål-Margit”).

Secondly; She looks happy, relaxed, and a little bit naughty. As if she just went out of bed and is asking for more. Very sensual! I hope it was the painter that made her feel that way, and that it’s a portrait made out of love. It would break my heart if it’s a false portrait made to smear her.
 
Thirdly; She's darn pretty! I tend to favour pretty portraits over ugly ones (we will come back to that later – I’ve just bought Umberto Eco’s “On Beauty” and “On Ugliness”).