Details
ANTON EINSLE (AUSTRIAN, 1801–1871)
Emperor Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia and Apostolic King of Hungary
signed and dated 'Ant. Einsle 851' (lower right)
oil on canvas
98½ x 72¾ in. (250 x 185 cm.)
Provenance
Possibly:
Ferdinand II, King of Two Sicilies (1810-1859).
His consort Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria (1816-1867).
Their daughter Princess Maria Pia of Naples-Sicily (1849-1882), married Duke Robert I of Parma (1848-1907).
Thence by descent.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 14 April 2011, lot 8.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owners.
Special notice
Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.
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Lot Essay


Anton Einsle depicts Emperor Franz Joseph on an impressive scale. He is depicted at the age of 21 in the third year of his reign. During this period, the Emperor sought to increase his powers, culminating in the Silvesterpatent on New Year's Eve 1851, which increased the power of the monarch. It has been suggested that the plans on the table next to him may be for the fortress at Kraków, which the Emperor had ordered in 1850.

Emperor Franz Joseph is dressed as an Austrian Feldmarschall. He wears the Russian Order of St George with its black and orange ribbon, which had had received for the suppression of the 1848-49 uprisings. He also wears the badge of the Golden Fleece around his neck.

The Emperor's other medals, from top to bottom, are the Military Order of Maria Theresa (his sash being another symbol of the Order), with the Royal Hungarian Order of St Stephen (left) and the Order of Leopold (right) below. In the lowest row are the Order of the Iron Crown, and to the right the Order of Franz Joseph.

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