Eugène Delacroix, “Louis of Orléans Showing His Mistress,” 1825–1826

This 25 × 35 cm canvas depicts a cynical 15th-century anecdote. Prince Louis of Orléans, brother of the French king, had an affair with Mariette d’Enghien, wife of his former chamberlain, Albert le Flamenc.

To mock the deceived husband, Louis invited him into his bedroom to admire his lover. He covered Mariette’s sleeping face but left her body exposed. The chamberlain admired her figure, unaware she was his own wife. The next day, he innocently told her about it.

The suggestive painting remained in private collections for years, and auctioneers repeatedly confused the figures’ names. Today, the rare miniature is at Madrid’s Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.

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