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Erzherzog Leopold Wilhelm

This marble half-length bust depicts Archduke Leopold Wilhelm (1614–1662) at the age of 42. The Governor of the Spanish Netherlands is clutching a marshal’s baton in his right hand, while his left hand plays with the cross of the Teutonic Order. This subtle juxtapositioning of one forcefully grasping and one tentative and sensitive hand may be a reference to the Archduke’s dual role: he was not only a regent but also a passionate collector and connoisseur, and thus one of the “fathers” of the Picture Gallery of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. He owned a number of paintings by Van Dyck, among them The Caption of Samson.

This marble half-length bust depicts Archduke Leopold Wilhelm (1614–1662) at the age of 42. The Governor of the Spanish Netherlands is clutching a marshal’s baton in his right hand, while his left hand plays with the cross of the Teutonic Order. This subtle juxtapositioning of one forcefully grasping and one tentative and sensitive hand may be a reference to the Archduke’s dual role: he was not only a regent but also a passionate collector and connoisseur, and thus one of the “fathers” of the Picture Gallery of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. He owned a number of paintings by Van Dyck, among them The Caption of Samson.

Artist:
François Dieussart (um 1600 Arquinghem/Belgien - 1661 London ?) DNB

Time:
1656

Object Name
bust; Stone Sculpture

Culture
Brussels

Material/technology:
Marble

Dimensions:
H. 72 cm

Signed
FRCO: THE WALNUT TYPE VALLON FECIT 1656

Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer

Invs.
Kunstkammer, 8933

Provenance
1937/38 from the Inventory of the Hofburg (T.A.6) (BMfU Zl.42349-I-6a of 13.12.1937); 1659 Archduke Leopold Wilhelm Inv., p.435, No.77

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