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Lot Essay
Trained initially in Salzburg and later in Verona, Johann Baptist Lampi became one of the leading portraitists at the imperial courts of Austria and Russia and the crown court of Poland. Upon the recommendation of the Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria (1743–1808), he moved to Vienna in 1783, rapidly establishing a thriving career painting notable members of Court society. Lampi’s talents soon caught the attention of other European powers and he subsequently worked for Stanisław II (1732-1798) in Warsaw from 1788 until his summons to Russia in 1791, where he became the favorite portraitist of Catherine the Great (1729-1796). After the death of his patroness, Lampi returned to Vienna where he continued to work until his death.
Lampi’s portrait of Franz von Diesbach, painted shortly before he left Austria for Poland, the artist’s formidable talent for capturing his sitter’s character and personality. The open shirt, unbuttoned orange-yellow silk coat and large, fur-trimmed cloak thrown casually over Von Disbach’s shoulder lend an informality and intimacy to the portrait that may suggest a personal acquaintance between the two men. Von Diesbach was educated at Fribourg and served in the Swiss Guard in France between 1755 and 1759. He then moved to Vienna, where he was appointed chamberlain to the Emperor Joseph II (1741-1790). He continued to work in the imperial household after Joseph II’s death and was made a Councillor of State in 1791, prefect of Fribourg in 1803, and a member of the Grand Council and judge of the canton of Fribourg in 1807 (B. Forclaz, ed., L’expérience de la difference religieuse dans l’Europe modern (XVIe-XVIIIe siècles), Neuchâtel, 2012, p. 284). Lampi’s portrait shows him in the office of chamberlain to the imperial household, holding his key of office out toward the viewer. The plaster roundel prominently placed on the table behind him shows the bust of Empress Maria Theresa (1717-1780), and was perhaps included as a reference to von Diesbach’s continued loyalty to the Habsburg family. A recent re-emergence, the portrait remained in the family of the sitter for over two hundred years until its acquisition by the present owner.
Lampi’s portrait of Franz von Diesbach, painted shortly before he left Austria for Poland, the artist’s formidable talent for capturing his sitter’s character and personality. The open shirt, unbuttoned orange-yellow silk coat and large, fur-trimmed cloak thrown casually over Von Disbach’s shoulder lend an informality and intimacy to the portrait that may suggest a personal acquaintance between the two men. Von Diesbach was educated at Fribourg and served in the Swiss Guard in France between 1755 and 1759. He then moved to Vienna, where he was appointed chamberlain to the Emperor Joseph II (1741-1790). He continued to work in the imperial household after Joseph II’s death and was made a Councillor of State in 1791, prefect of Fribourg in 1803, and a member of the Grand Council and judge of the canton of Fribourg in 1807 (B. Forclaz, ed., L’expérience de la difference religieuse dans l’Europe modern (XVIe-XVIIIe siècles), Neuchâtel, 2012, p. 284). Lampi’s portrait shows him in the office of chamberlain to the imperial household, holding his key of office out toward the viewer. The plaster roundel prominently placed on the table behind him shows the bust of Empress Maria Theresa (1717-1780), and was perhaps included as a reference to von Diesbach’s continued loyalty to the Habsburg family. A recent re-emergence, the portrait remained in the family of the sitter for over two hundred years until its acquisition by the present owner.