French school of the 19th century Randon de Chateauneuf, Hospitaller Brother of Malta Oil on canvas (accidents and restorations). 65 x 53 cm Gilt frame. A.B.E. One of the oldest families in the kingdom; it is the stock of the illustrious house of Joyeuse, so famous in the History of France. Anne, Duke of Joyeuse, peer and admiral of France, married, in 1581, Marguerite de Lorraine-Guise, sister of Louise de Lorraine-Guise, queen of France, wife of King Henry III; the house of Chateauneuf-de-Randon still gave birth to that of Apchier, which is one of the most distinguished in the kingdom. Thus this family happens to have provided a grandmaster of the Order of Malta, three marshals of France, three dukes and peers, a great admiral and a great drinker of France, several knights of the King's orders, governors of the provinces of Languedoc and Normandy, of Anjou and Maine, a first gentleman of the chamber, a grandmaster of the wardrobe, several chamberlains of our kings, captains of fifty and one hundred men-at-arms, generals of the Pope's armies, cardinals, deans of the sacred college, and several bishops.