Frederick the Great (1712-1786), King of Prussia 1740-1786 in the uniform of the Prussian Life Guards, red-lined blue coat with red collar, black trousers, holding a glove in his gloved left hand, wearing the star of the Royal Prussian Order of the Black Eagle, black tricorn hat adorned with black rosette in his powdered hair; and Frederick William II (1744-1797), King of Prussia 1786-1797, holding a stick in his gloved right hand, in pink lined blue coat with silver-embroidered pink facings, wearing the orange moiré sash and breast star of the Royal Prussian Order of the Black Eagle, powdered hair; and Prince Henry (1726-1786), in blue coat, white waistcoat and trousers, tricorn hat under his left arm, wearing the orange moiré sash and breast star of the Royal Prussian Order of the Black Eagle and the cross of a Canon of Magdeburg

Details

ANTON FRIEDRICH KÖNIG (GERMAN, 1722-1787)
Frederick the Great (1712-1786), King of Prussia 1740-1786 in the uniform of the Prussian Life Guards, red-lined blue coat with red collar, black trousers, holding a glove in his gloved left hand, wearing the star of the Royal Prussian Order of the Black Eagle, black tricorn hat adorned with black rosette in his powdered hair; and Frederick William II (1744-1797), King of Prussia 1786-1797, holding a stick in his gloved right hand, in pink lined blue coat with silver-embroidered pink facings, wearing the orange moiré sash and breast star of the Royal Prussian Order of the Black Eagle, powdered hair; and Prince Henry (1726-1786), in blue coat, white waistcoat and trousers, tricorn hat under his left arm, wearing the orange moiré sash and breast star of the Royal Prussian Order of the Black Eagle and the cross of a Canon of Magdeburg
rectangular, 3 9/16 x 3¾ in. (91 x 96 mm.), gilt-metal mount

Provenance

The Thurn and Taxis Collection, St. Emmeram Castle, Regensburg, inv. no. StE16049 (part); Sotheby's, Regensburg, 13 October 1993, lot 1302 (part).

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Further details

(ALSO ILLUSTRATED ON CATALOGUE FRONT COVER)

Lot Essay

Both an autograph replica and an autograph variant of the present miniature are recorded: an exact replica is in the Hessische Hausstiftung at Fasanerie Castle, Adolphseck, Fulda (inv. I263), and a variant, with differences in the position of Frederick's arms, is in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich (inv. R5811), illustrated and discussed in the exhibition catalogue Friedrich der Große, Munich, Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, 1992-1993, p. 131, no. 47.

More from Important Portrait Miniatures and Objects of Vertu

View All