BORBONE "Portrait of Gabrielle de Bourbon" Painting. The portrait depicts Gabrielle de la Bourbon (1460-1516). Gabrielle de Bourbon, the daughter of Louis I, Count of Montpensier (1405-1486) and direct descendant of Saint Louis (1214-1270) is of great interest to today's historians due to the unusually vast amount of archival material available on her life; who she was, what she did and what she aspired to achieve. She was considered a "…fine type of cultured Frenchwoman in austere Renaissance days, before the Italian wars had introduced into French chateaux Italian luxury and freedom." She was in the center of the French political arena and raised as a descendant of King Stain Louis, she was well cultured and aware of her responsibilities as nobility. She was a generous patron and was particularly interested in literature, and "…was even the author of treatises, the solemn tenor of which is betokened by such titles as le Chasteua de Sainct Esprit, I'Instruction de Jeunes Filles, and la Viateur." These works, which are still used today as they offer valuable insight into laywomen's spirituality in the early Renaissance days, were considered to be of such high quality for the period that the later author Bouchet noted that he "…had difficulty believing that they were by a woman…" On the 28th of July 1484, she married Louis II de la Trémoille (or La Trimouille) (29 September 1460 - 24 February 1525), a French general who served under three kings; Charles VIII, Louis XII, and Francis I. He was killed in combat at the Battle of Pavia. The richly detailed portrait is clearly the work of a highly skilled artist, evident by the level of detail in the ornate silk embroidered dress and ermine trimmed robe. A gold figural pendant adorns her pearl trimmed bodice and pearls embellish the renaissance cap that accents her oval face. In the upper left corner are the decorative letters, "GABa BORBONE Conse Sue de la TRIMOUILLE Eta 26 Anni" which translates to "Gabrielle Bourbon Consort of de la Trimouille Aged 26 years". The painting on panel is in very good condition with no flaking or loss, protected by glass within the frame for some time. Blacklight reveals no in-painting or repair. The ornate beveled frame surround, is painted black and decorated with gilt fleur de lis. We are unable to ascertain the specific age of the portrait. The title and family crest indicate the painting could date from the 15th century, and or it could have been painted posthumously. The ornate gilt tabernacle frame is richly grained pine or another softwood. The thick panel, also made of softwood, has a slight warp from centuries of age and a depth of 1 ¼". There is a wrought iron looped hanging hook on the back along with several rose-head nails. From the construction of the frame, we date it from the 18th or early 19th century. There is a piece of gesso loss on the frame that measures 1 - 1/3" x 1" and a 2 ½" long piece of trim missing on one of the lower corners. The panel measures 17" high x 12 1/8" wide. The large frame measures 35 ¼" high x 24 5/8" wide x 4 ¼" deep. From the estate of Cesare Barbier Included with the painting is an original 1940's black and white Christmas card showing the tabernacle framed painting over the fireplace mantle (on the far right) in Cesare Barbieri's - Villa Barbieri estate in Tuxedo Park, New York. Barbieri, Cesare (1878 - 1956) born in Bologna Italy-emigrated to U.S. (1905) Inventor, mechanical engineer, and philanthropist; Worked as an early advisor, beginning in 1914, to the Vortex Co. in Chicago; continued as a consulting engineer to the Dixie-Vortex company after merger; designed first cone-shaped cup machinery and 1st double-wrapped, heavy-duty hot-drink and container cup machinery; Founder of Cesare Barbieri Endowment to promote American culture abroad, and to restore the University of Bologna. Willed his considerable estate in trust for needy Dixie employees. He died on May 26, 1956 at age 78. There are 10 additional images of the painting on our website.