Prince Charles Joseph de Ligne (1735-1814), facing left in white coat with gold buttons and blue collar, white waistcoat, powdered hair, wearing the Order of the Golden Fleece and the Imperial Austrian Military Order of Maria-Theresia

Charles Joseph, Prince de Ligne, Austrian field marshal. He belonged to an ancient princely family of Hainaut, in the Austrian Netherlands (now Belgium). He held high military and diplomatic posts, was an adviser of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, and won the favour of Empress Catherine II of Russia while on a mission at her court. Though deprived of most of his estates by the French Revolution and sunk to relative obscurity, he remained active in European affairs. Ligne was celebrated for his cosmopolitanism and wit; his most famous remark, a reference to the Congress of Vienna, was 'Le congres ne marche pas, il danse'. His selected letters and memoirs mirror his personal charm, polished gaiety, and unpretentious wisdom.
Another version of this miniature by Daffinger was sold by the H. S. H. the Prince de Ligne, Sotheby's, London, 9 June 1994, lot 61.