From one work to the next, the compositions of the canvases are in constant dialogue with a complex visual history made of direct references to classical painting and the canons that defined the representation of Black people in 19th century Europe. In Pierre Mignard's original portrait, the identity of the black child next to Louise de Kerouaille is unknown and her presence seems to be justified only in the sole purpose of highlighting the duchess. The child holds pearls and corals, symbols of Louise de Kerouaille's wealth and power. Her black skin accentuates the whiteness of the Duchess's, a criterion of beauty in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the guise of Roméo Mivekannin, the object-image character of the maid in the original painting is now giving us a look heavy with meaning and without complacency.