Portrait of a Gentleman 18th Century; Circle of Georg Desmarées (1697-1776)

Oil on canvas.

An 18th century large scale portrait of Clemens August of Bavaria (1700-1761) as Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, a position he held from 1732 to 1761. The style and type of this portrait was popular in the 17th and 18th centuries as a form of propaganda to emphasise and glorify the sitter’s importance. As one of the most important princes of the period, the subject has been portrayed with all the props one would associate with military grandeur, the armour, the sword, the plumbed helmet and the baton of command. The sitters in these portraits were often placed in an outdoor setting with a military encampment or fields, as in the present example, in the background.

The draftmanship is very good as is the treatment of the armour and there is a good degree of realism. This is a marvellous show piece and the large scale is impressive and intended to impress.

Clemens August (1700-1761) was a son of the Elector Max Emanuel of Bavaria (Govenor General in the Spanish Netherlands) and Teresa Kunegunda Sobieska who was a daughter of Polish King John Sobieski. He was named Archbishop and Elector of Cologne in 1723. He was also elected Bishop of Münster, Paderborn, Hildesheim and Osnabrück. His troops were mainly of a defensive ilk as an offensive stance was incongruous with his role of a prince-bishop. He is said to have operated a magnificent royal household and built numerous castles.

George Desmarées (1697-1776) was a Swedish painter and one of the most important and prolific portrait painters of the Rococo. He painted at least 50 portraits of the Bavarian prince’s families alone. He visited Peter Martin van Mytens’ (the Elder) school in Stockholm and attended the drawing academy in Nuremberg. After which he travelled to Venice and became a pupil of Giovanni Battista Piazzetta in 1725. In 1730, he became Emperor Charles VII’s official court painter and subsequently worked for numerous German royal courts. He received the most important and extensive orders from the Elector of Cologne Clemens August of Bavaria.

Measurements: Height 107cm, Width 96cm framed (Height 42”, Width 37.75” framed)

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