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# 36059
"Maria Luisa, Princess of Naples", important miniature on ivory, ca. 1790 3500 EUR
FINAL DISCOUNT PRICE= 3500 USD
( for EUR price see date rate )
Please note: Shipping and insurance costs are not included in this promotion, ONLY ITEM PRICES!
(please note additional 10% tax applies for transactions concluded within the European Union)
THE SELLER WILL COVER INSURED SHIPPING WITH REGULAR MAIL FOR THIS ITEM!
*On verso: old authentic inscription "C. Caserta" (Casa Caserta? Castello Caserta?); Italian town Caserta situated in 40km north of Naples houses Palazzo Reale de Caserta, which was formerly summer residence of the Royal Family of Kingdom Naples and Two Sicilies.
This miniature portrait was painted in ca.1790 (see sitter's dress and hairstyle) on a thick ivory wafer by a 1st-class Austrian (surely working at court) artist. It is a portrait of 17-year-old Princess Maria Luisa of Naples and Sicily, fiancée (her wedding took place in Florence on the 15th of August 1790) of her double first cousin, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and Grand Duke of Tuscany. After the wedding she bore the title of Grand Duchess of Tuscany.
Maria Luisa Amelia Teresa was born on the 27th of July 1773 at the Royal Palace in Naples as a second child (and first daughter) of King Ferdinand IV of Naples (Ferdinand III of Sicily) and his wife, Maria Carolina of Austria (sister of Marie Antoinette of France). Therefore, she was also a granddaughter of (still alive) Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. Her parental grandparents were Charles III, King of Spain and his Saxon wife Maria Amalia.
Her husband ruled the Grand Duchy of Tuscany up to 1801, i.e. until the enforcement of Napoleon's Treaty of Aranjuez that forced him to make way for the Kingdom of Etruria.
The couple went into exile and lived in Vienna. Maria Luisa died in childbirth the next year in the Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna. She is buried in the Imperial Crypt with her still-born son in her arms.
Our image nr.8 shows her oil portrait by Joseph Dorffmeister.
Not less interesting than the portrait itself is its provenance: this miniature was acquired on the 25th of February 2012 at a sale of the auction house "Kaminski" (Beverly, Mass. / USA) as one in a group of other portrait miniatures - all sharing the same provenance: "Frederika Maria Beer-Monti, Vienna, Aaron and Greta Shapiro by descent, Susan and Peter Shapiro by descent (see our image nr.6).
The first owner of this portrait - Frederika (Friederike) Maria Beer-Monti was especially well known. This lady was born in ca. 1890 into the family of the owner of famous "Kaiser-Bar" in center of the Austrian capital. In 1914, then 25 years old and girl-friend of young Viennese artist Hans Boehler, she got acquainted with Egon Schiele (Boehler's cousin was Schiele's assistant and student). She commissioned Schiele to paint a portrait of herself.
A year and a half later Boehler introduced her to great Gustav Klimt. And again the wealthy young woman commissioned the master to paint her portrait (for both of these portraits, as well as photographs showing Friederike with Klimt, see our images nr.9-10).
In 1834 Friederike emigrated (via Germany) to the USA (she boarded a ship in Hamburg carrying with her only the most important objects of her art collection). By 1936 she already established herself as a well-known New York art dealer and Director of the newly-founded Artist's Gallery).
When she passed away (early 1970?) her collection was inherited by her niece Greta Shapiro. When, in her turn, Greta passed away, her husband Aaron Shapiro inherited it. After the death of Aaron, all items were passed on to Greta and Aaron's children Peter and Susan Shapiro...
miapr0412
Condition: good
Creation Year: ca 1790
Measurements: UNFRAMED:4,4x3,7cm/1,7x1,5in FRAMED: 4,9x5,2cm/1,9x2,0in
Object Type: Framed miniature
Style: Portrait Miniatures
Technique: watercolor on thick ivory wafer
Inscription: verso: old inscription (see above)
Creator: Austrian School
To see other works by this artist click on the name above!
Creator Dates: -
Nationality: Austrian
- We will cover shipping with regular registered mail (delivery between 7-14 days), as well as insurance costs for this item.
- Full insured 2-3 days DHL service available upon request and subject to extra charges: office@wilnitsky.com
OBS: Austrian mail refunds cases of loss or damage with maximum EUR 500 to the US (in Europe sometimes more, depending on destination).
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