Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873) - Portrait de l'architecte Karl Joseph Berckmüller

Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873)
Portrait de l'architecte Karl Joseph Berckmüller
Musée des Beaux-Arts  d'Amiens
Don du Général Leclerc de Hautecloque, 1945

Ce portrait illustre l’amitié qui lie dans leur jeunesse l’architecte Karl Joseph Berckmüller, connu pour ses réalisations à Karlsruhe, et Franz Xaver Winterhalter, l’un des portraitistes les plus célèbres du 19eme siècle qui fit le portrait des grands de son monde comme l'imperatice Elizabeth d'Autriche (Sissi), l'impératrice Eugénie ou la reine Victoria, ect... .La signature de Winterhalter, comme gravée dans la pierre, apparait comme étant  à la fois une allusion au métier du modèle et une affirmation des ambitions du jeune peintre. 

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2021 - Men Portraits
Un blog de Francis Rousseau

Franz-Xaver Winterhalter ( 1805-1873) - Maharadjah Duleep Singh

Franz-Xaver Winterhalter ( 1805-1873)

Maharadjah  Duleep Singh, the last maharadjah of Punjab in 1854

The Royal Trust Collection 

Queen Victoria was captivated by Dalip Singh (1838-93) when first introduced to him in 1854, the year in which he was brought to England, having surrendered his sovereignty of the Punjab in 1849. She recorded in her journal on 10 July 1854 that 'Winterhalter was in ecstasies at the beauty and nobility of bearing of the young Maharaja. He was very amiable and patient, standing so still and giving a sitting of upwards of 2 hrs'. Queen Victoria's fascination with India continued throughout her life and this was one of many portraits that she commissioned of Indian sitters. However, Winterhalter's male portraits are rarely as romantic or exotic as this image, which places the young Maharaja in an imaginary landscape in Indian dress. 

The Maharaja is shown wearing his diamond aigrette and star in his turban and a jewel-framed miniature of Queen Victoria by Emily Eden. During one of the sittings he was shown the Koh-i N?r diamond that he had surrendered in 1849. Queen Victoria recorded how she had given him the newly recut jewel to inspect and that he then handed it back to her, saying how much pleasure it gave him to be able to make the gift in person. He quickly became a close friend of the royal family, visiting them at Osborne and inviting the Prince of Wales to shooting parties on his estate at Elveden Hall in Suffolk. However, Dalip Singh's financial difficulties and disaffection with British politics led him to become involved in various international intrigues in an attempt to regain his throne and he died in exile in Paris.

Commissioned by Queen Victoria, 1854

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2016 - Men Portraits 
Un blog de Francis Rousseau

Franz-Xaver Winterhalter ( 1805-1873) - Antoine d'Orléans

Franz-Xaver Winterhalter ( 1805-1873)

 Antoine d'Orléans, duc de Montpensier à l'âge de 20 ans

Musée du château de  Chantilly, France

 Dernier enfant du roi des Français Louis-Philippe Ier (1773-1850) et de son épouse Marie-Amélie de Bourbon (1782-1866), princesse des Deux-Siciles, Antoine-Marie-Philippe-Louis d’Orléans, duc de Montpensier est  devenu Don Antonio de Orleans, Infant d'Espagne par son mariage et duc de Galliera après la renonciation de la duchesse Maria de Brignole-Sale. 

Membre de la maison capétienne d’Orléans, il est le fondateur de la branche Orléans-Bourbon renommée par la suite Orléans-Galliera.

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2016 - Men Portraits 
Un blog de Francis Rousseau