The lady whose portrait you see here is Christiane Eberhardine von Brandenburg-Bayreuth. August the Strong married her in 1693.
She is draped in a cloak of red velvet and seated on a high-backed chair. The bodice of her gown, her hair and the chain holding her cloak together, as well as the hip chain she is wearing, are all studded with pearls and precious jewels. The servant approaching from the left is a Moor. He brings her a medallion of her husband, King August the Second, on a pearl necklace. It’s presented on a jewellery box.
This little watercolour is based on an oil painting by Louis de Silvestre. The famous full-length portrait of August the Strong, which you see in this room, was also painted by Louis de Silvestre, who was a renowned court painter in Dresden.
The silver-gilt frame, decorated with gemstones and pearls, is the work of Johann Melchior Dinglinger. Originally, it contained an enamel miniature of Maria Magdalena, Countess von Dönhoff, who was August the Strong’s mistress. It depicted her in hunting costume. That explains the lances and horns on the side of this frame, as well as the arrows at the bottom edge. Her image was removed in 1725 and replaced with this portrait of Christiane Eberhardine.
- Location & Dating
- Goldsmith's work: Dresden, 1718
- Material & Technique
- Silver, gilt, precious stones, pearls, watercolour painting on paper
- Dimenions
- H 24,3 cm, B 14,3 cm, T 3,3 cm Schutzglasscheibe 12,9 x 9,4 cm
- Museum
- Grünes Gewölbe
- Inventory number
- VI 69