
Portrait of Prince Ferenc Rákóczi II
Old Hungarian Collection
Artist | |
---|---|
Date | between 1772 and 1774 |
Object type | sketch for a painting |
Medium, technique | canvas, oil |
Dimensions | image: 31 × 19.5 cm |
Inventory number | 6332 |
Collection | Old Hungarian Collection |
On view | This artwork is not on display |
Saint Stephen offering the Hungarian crown to Mary was the most common and most popular theme of Hungarian late Baroque altar painting, in which the Virgin Mary is linked to the cult of the Hungarian king, Saint Stephen. Franz Anton Maulbertsch’s small-scale work created with virtuoso technique and powerful, fresh colours was a study for the high altar of the Roman Catholic church of the village Écs. Here, Saint Stephen, shown in Hungarian attire, presents the coronation regalia to Mary and asks her to protect his country. An angel carries the regalia on a pillow, while a small putto in the lower left corner of the painting holds the country’s coat of arms. Such an attempt at an accurate representation of the cloak and coronation regalia reveals the importance placed on faithful depictions during this period.
This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.