Joseph II, Emperor of Austria (1741-1790) c.1785
Oil on canvas | 30.7 x 40.8 x 1.5 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 406454
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Joseph II was the son of Francis I (1708-65) and the Empress Maria Theresa (1717-80); he succeeded his father in 1765, but only acted as sole ruler for a decade after the death of his mother in 1780. He was one of the key ‘enlightened despots’ of the eighteenth century, liberating surfs and establishing religious toleration in 1781 and abolishing the death penalty in 1787.
In this crude version of an otherwise unknown composition, the Emperor appears half-length, in green uniform, wearing the ribbon of the Order of the Golden Fleece and the ribbon and star of the Order of Maria Theresa.Provenance
Probably acquired by George IV; recorded at Carlton House in 1816 (no 483) and in 1819 (no 517, valued at 3 guineas); later in the Edward III Tower at Windsor Castle
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Creator(s)
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Medium and techniques
Oil on canvas
Measurements
30.7 x 40.8 x 1.5 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
36.5 x 31.7 x 4.0 cm (frame, external)
