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Institutions

Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV

Stamp — La Poste

♦ Informartions 

Louis, Duke of Anjou, was only two years old when measles took his father and then his elder brother. He then became dauphin of France, then king under the name of Louis XV when the Sun King died in 1715. Louis XV being only five years old, the regency was entrusted to Philippe d'Orléans, nephew of the deceased monarch. He taught him the secrets of power and at the age of eleven he was betrothed to the Infanta of Spain, Marie-Anne-Victoire. The purpose of this future union was to seal a newfound friendship between Spain and France. However, Marie-Anne-Victoire was very young and the king was said to be in poor health; he needed children quickly.

The infanta was therefore sent back to the other side of the Pyrenees and the search began for a European princess worthy of marrying the heir to the great Louis XIV.

Against all odds, the choice fell on a princess without a crown. Marie Leszczynska was certainly not the richest and her father was no longer King of Poland, but she was old enough to give birth. She is said to be pious, discreet, even pretty. The marriage was celebrated first by proxy, then in person at Fontainebleau, on September 5, 1725.

The couple enjoyed each other and the king showed affection, esteem and attachment to Marie, but he exhausted her with too frequent pregnancies (they had ten children). It is said that, on the advice of her doctors, she forbade the king to lie down. Wearily, he lost interest in his wife and began to take care of his mistresses. The most famous of them, Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, is said to have maintained cordial relations with the queen.

A loving mother, Marie was marked, along with her husband, by successive bereavements, losing several of their children and grandchildren. In 1768, she died in her turn. She is buried in the Saint-Denis basilica. Never remarried despite some negotiations, the king died in 1774.

♦ Informartions 

  • Product reference: 11 22 102
  • Creation: Benjamin VAN BLANCKE
  • Presentation: Block of 2 stamps
  • Impression: Intaglio printing
  • Illustration: 320 000 copies
  • Engraving: Pierre BARA
  • Stamp format(oval) : 40,85 x 52 mm | Format 143 x 105 mm
  • Draft: 320 000 copies
  • Face value: 3,30 € | Selling price : 6,60 €
Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV, Stamp — La Poste — ink illustration by Benjamin Van Blancke (1/14)Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV, Stamp — La Poste — ink illustration by Benjamin Van Blancke (2/14)Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV, Stamp — La Poste — ink illustration by Benjamin Van Blancke (3/14)Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV, Stamp — La Poste — ink illustration by Benjamin Van Blancke (4/14)Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV, Stamp — La Poste — ink illustration by Benjamin Van Blancke (5/14)Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV, Stamp — La Poste — ink illustration by Benjamin Van Blancke (6/14)Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV, Stamp — La Poste — ink illustration by Benjamin Van Blancke (7/14)Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV, Stamp — La Poste — ink illustration by Benjamin Van Blancke (8/14)Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV, Stamp — La Poste — ink illustration by Benjamin Van Blancke (9/14)Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV, Stamp — La Poste — ink illustration by Benjamin Van Blancke (10/14)Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV, Stamp — La Poste — ink illustration by Benjamin Van Blancke (11/14)Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV, Stamp — La Poste — ink illustration by Benjamin Van Blancke (12/14)Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV, Stamp — La Poste — ink illustration by Benjamin Van Blancke (13/14)Les Grandes Heures — Louis XV, Stamp — La Poste — ink illustration by Benjamin Van Blancke (14/14)
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