Portrait of a nobleman with banner and sash of the Order of the Holy Spirit oil on canvas French school 18th C. (1st half) relined, small restoration Dimensões (altura x comprimento x largura) - 133 x 101 cm Notes: the Order of the Holy Spirit, established in 1578 by Henri III, was the most prestigious order of chivalry of the French monarchy. According to its statutes were only allowed: members of the Royal family, members of the hierarchy of the Church and nobility (with at least three generations of such nobility) and certain foreign monarchs allies of the French Crown. The insignia of the order is the cross of Malta, displaying a dove and a Fleur-de-lis between each adjacent pair of the arms of the cross. The Knights of this order wore a sky-blue banner, which gave rise to the designation as were known: "Les Cordon Bleus". There is a very similar picture of Philippe, duc d'Anjou (future Philip V of Spain), as a young, by François de Troy (1645-1730) dating back to 1696.