Emperor Francis I (Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine) (1708−1765)
1776/1777 | Johann Zoffani
Here the husband of Maria Theresa, Emperor Francis I, is surrounded by objects that reflect his interest in the natural sciences and the arts: a telescope, an armillary sphere, shells, fossils and a sawfish blade. Francis is holding a coin in his hand, and on the coin cabinet a violin is lying on top of an open musical score. Based on a portrait by court painter Martin van Meytens, this picture was painted after the emperor’s death, and Zoffani recast the decorative aspects of his late-Baroque model in the spirit of the early-Classicistic portrait style.
Here the husband of Maria Theresa, Emperor Francis I, is surrounded by objects that reflect his interest in the natural sciences and the arts: a telescope, an armillary sphere, shells, fossils and a sawfish blade. Francis is holding a coin in his hand, and on the coin cabinet a violin is lying on top of an open musical score. Based on a portrait by court painter Martin van Meytens, this picture was painted after the emperor’s death, and Zoffani recast the decorative aspects of his late-Baroque model in the spirit of the early-Classicistic portrait style.
Artist:
Johann Zoffani (1733 Frankfurt am Main - 1810 Strand-on-the-Green/Kew) DNB
Depiction/Person:
Franz I. (1745-1765), Kaiser, 1729-1737 als Franz III. Herzog von Lothringen, seit 1737 als Franz II (1708 - 1765) DNB
Time:
1776/1777
Object Name
Painting
Culture
German
Material/technology:
Canvas
Dimensions:
232 cm × 149 cm
Framed (gallery frame): 250 cm × 164 cm × 11,5 cm
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 6389
Provenance
Gallery Depot; Schönbrunn Palace;