Portrait of Archduke Joseph, later Emperor Joseph II of Austria (1741-90), full-length, seated on a pink cushion, in gold embroidered brocade blue jacket and a coat with ermine trim and wearing the Order of the Golden Fleece

Martin van Meytens was predominantly a portrait painter, successfully depicting the Imperial family and nobility of Austria, Moravia and Bohemia, frequently in commanding full-length poses replete with images of rule. Archduke Joseph was said to have been a difficult child, developing into a studious young man, who, after the death of his extravaggant mother, Maria Theresa in 1780, became one of the 'Enlightened Despots' of Europe. A pair of ovals by van Meytens of Archduke Joseph at a similar age and his sister, Archduchess Maria Christine, were sold Christie's, 21 October 1994, lot 148 (16,000).