Although the artist is unknown, the portrait was initially thought to be of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria (1830-1916). For more about him see Franz Joseph I of Austria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 1165
However, from the comments below, left by kind visitors, it is now suspected to be King Albert of Saxony (1828-1902) who reigned from 1873-1902 and is shown here in several different images. Albert, was born April 23, 1828. Prince Albert's education, as usual with German princes, concentrated to a great extent on military matters, but he attended lectures at the University of Bonn.
King Albert was noted for his military ability. At the age of 21, he served as a captain in the army of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein in their war against the Danes.
In 1866, during the Seven Weeks' War between Austria and Prussia, Albert commanded a Saxon corps, which distinguished itself at the decisive Battle of Königgrätz by a firm stand against the Prussia
Although even then, it is conceded the man in the miniature does not seem to have enough medals, and it is probable many officers of the time adopted a similar appearance!
4 comments:
The man on the picture is not Emperor Franz Joseph I. His features are different. I am sure.
Hi there!
Love the blog, lots of beautiful miniatures.
:)
Anyway, I'm inclined to agree with the previous poster - I don't think this is the Austrian Emperor, Franz Josef.
However, I'll make a suggestion who it might be - King Albert of Saxony (1828-1902, r. 1873-1902).
Here are some links to pictures of King Albert for comparison (hopefully they'll work!):
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:K%C3%B6nig_Albert_von_Sachsen.jpg
* http://www.photos.com/en/search/close-up?oid=5264189&hoid=ef29e76887be74524f4c5bb84726ef4b
See what you think.
Hello again! (I'm the second Anonymous poster above).
I wasn't aware of this the last time I posted, but it might be of interest (and might explain, to some degree, why the miniature looks like both Franz Josef of Austria and Albert of Saxony) - they were maternal first cousins.
Both Albert's mother (Amalie/Amalia) and Franz Josef's mother (Sophie) were daughters of Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife, Caroline of Baden.
Amalie was the third/fourth child and had an identical twin, Elisabeth (who married Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia), and Sophie was the fifth/sixth child and also had an identical twin, Maria Leopoldina Anna (who married Friedrich Augustus II of Saxony).
Amalie/Amalia:
http://www.royaltyguide.nl/images-families/wittelsbach/bavariakings2/1801%20Amalia.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Amalie-auguste.jpg
Sophie:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Stieler_Archduchess_1832.jpg
Hope this helps.
Hi Barry,
Thank you very much for the comments, both before and and now added. If you want to contact me direct, you can click on my photo for an email link.
Cheers
Don
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