Prospective purchasers are advised that several co… Read more

AN AUSTRIAN GILT-COPPER AND BLUED-STEEL FRAME HUNG WITH THREE PORTRAIT MINIATURES OF AUSTRIAN RULERS

THE FRAME LATE 18TH CENTURY

Details

AN AUSTRIAN GILT-COPPER AND BLUED-STEEL FRAME HUNG WITH THREE PORTRAIT MINIATURES OF AUSTRIAN RULERS
THE FRAME LATE 18TH CENTURY
Three portrait miniatures: Charles VI (1685-1740), Holy Roman Emperor 1711-1740, wearing an ermine-trimmed crimson cloak and the jewel of the Order of the Golden Fleece (by Martin van Meytens the Younger, Swedish, 1695-1770); together with Joseph II (1741-1790), Holy Roman Emperor 1765-1790, wearing the sash and breast-star of the Imperial Austrian Order of Maria Theresa (Austrian School, circa 1775); together with Francis II (1768-1835), Holy Roman Emperor 1792-1806 and Emperor of Austria as Francis I 1806-1835, in white coat, wearing the jewel of the Order of the Golden Fleece, the Imperial Austrian Order of Maria Theresa and the Hungarian Order of St Stephen (by Joseph Kreutzinger, Austrian, 1757-1829)
the first enamel on copper, the second and third on ivory
ovals, 1 ½ in. (37 mm.) to 1 7/8 in. (47 mm.) high, gilt-metal frames, the frame 13 ¾ in. (35 cm.) high; 13 ¾ in. (35 cm.) wide

Literature

The portrait of Charles VI: S. Lillie, Was einmal war. Handbuch der enteigneten Kunstsammlungen Wiens, Vienna, 2003, p. 1041, no. 1152 (artist and sitter unidentified).
The portrait of Francis II: S. Lillie, Was einmal war. Handbuch der enteigneten Kunstsammlungen Wiens, Vienna, 2003, p. 1041, no. 1145 (artist unidentified)
The frame and probably the portrait of Joseph II: N. Rothschild, Notizen über einige meiner Kunstgegenstände, Vienna, 1903, no. 64 (artist unidentified).

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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Lot Essay

The frame is surmounted by a portrait medallion of Emperor Francis I (1708-1765) and flanked by the monograms of Joseph II (1741-1790) and Empress Maria Theresa (1717-1780). Joseph II was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and her husband, Francis I, and was the brother of Marie Antoinette, the wife of Louis XVI of France.
Emperor Charles VI was the second son of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Croatia and King of Bohemia. He married Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Emperor Francis II was a son of Emperor Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany and Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain. He inherited from his uncle, Joseph II who had no surviving issue.

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