Portrait of Maria Christina of France in widow's clothes

The dark colors, applied with flat brushstrokes, predominate within the canvas and act as a prelude to the condition of the woman who, dominated by different shades of black, firmly holds a cross-shaped brooch. The jewel, one of the few elements of light on the surface, further reveals the condition of its owner. Pearls, stones that are associated with tears, make up the jewel worn by a woman, a wife, who is going through the painful phase of mourning.

Comparing the painting under examination with a well-known work by the French portraitist Philibert Torret known as Narcissus, it is deduced that the woman portrayed is Maria Cristina of France, Duchess of Savoy, depicted half-length in typical widow's clothes, with a neckline edged with precious trimmings, around her neck a large white collar under which a pearl necklace shines , her curly hair enriched by a veiled black headdress and on her chest the cross with three pearls that gives voice to the deep devotion of the duchess. 
ASOR Studio"