The unsigned bust of Anne of Austria, depicted in a deep décolleté gown richly ornamented on the chest, with a pearl necklace around her neck and an ermine-lined coat, was previously considered to be the work of Gilles Guerin (1601–78), a sculptor associated with the French royal court. The justification for such an attribution was, among other things, the visible care taken over the details and the elegance of the bust, characteristic of the French master's output. However, the frontal view, symmetry and resulting rigidity and hardness of the modelling speak against associating the bust with Guerin because he modelled the faces of his subjects with far more softness and realism. The bust was identified by Andrzej Ciechanowiecki in c. 1965 on the antiques market in Paris. Purchased by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany from a private collection in the United Kingdom. 1980 – gift of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Anne of Austria (1601–66). Daughter of King Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria. From 1615 wife of King Louis XIII of France. Mother of Louis XIV; in his early years, she acted as regent (from 1643).