- 138
Twelve costume miniatures, German School, early 18th century
Description
- ink on paper
Condition
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
An inventory drawn up at the time refers to ninety-three costume paintings on parchment in black painted frames, part of the furnishings of the cabinet of his wife, Princess Eleonore Amalia, née Princess von Lobkowicz (1682-1741). In the years 1750-52, when their son Prince Josef Adam von Schwarzenberg rebuilt a country retreat, Favoritenhof (Kvítkův Dvůr), for his wife Princess Maria Theresia, née Princess von Liechtenstein, the series was moved and hung on the walls of a new cabinet painted with trompe l’ceil display panels. Nine extra miniatures were added to the series and, as a further visual conceit, three trompe l’ceil miniatures were painted on the walls of the cabinet.
In the mid-nineteenth century Prince Johann Adolf II von Schwarzenberg (1799-1888) instigated a major re-organisation of the family’s collections leading to at least part of the series being moved to Rothenhof (Červený Dvůr). Inventories made of the paintings at Rothenhof between 1933 and 1943, record sixty-eight costume miniatures in the study of Princess Therese von Schwarzenberg, née Countess von Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg (1870-1945). In 1945 eight of these works were given to American army officers; four years later the remaining sixty miniatures were transferred to the State Regional Archive at Český Krumlov. In 1978 they were moved once more to Český Krumlov castle where they remain today.
During the lifetime of the highly cultured Princess Maria Ernestine von Eggenberg and her husband Prince Johann Christian (1641-1710) the recently constructed theatre at Český Krumlov was used regularly for a range of entertainments, which led to the acquisition of a large wardrobe of costumes. This interest in the theatre may well have nurtured the idea of a series of costume miniatures, which during the princess’s widowhood when the theatre was dark, could bring back memories of the entertainments of her youth. A volume of engravings entitled Plusieurs Nations, which Princess Maria Ernestine inherited from her brother Prince Ferdinand Eusebius von Schwarzenberg in 1703, provided an iconographical source. This volume, which contained engravings by Henri II and Nicolas Bonnart, was not the only engraved source given to the unknown artists who worked on the series. Several of the costume studies were inspired by two other publications: Christoph Weigel’s Neu-eröffnete Welt-Galleria …, (Nuremberg, 1703), with engravings by Caspar Luyken, and Weigel’s version of Charles de Ferriol’s Recueil de cent estampes …, Wahreste und neueste Abbildung des Türckischen Hofes … , (Nuremberg in 1721). Some sources remain unidentified.
The miniatures were painted on vellum in watercolour and gouache with occasional highlights of gold and silver paint. The subject of each was inscribed in gold paint at the base. Those derived from Bonnart family engravings are in French, the others in German, repeating the titles of the source engravings.
The 1733 inventory indicates that the miniatures were contained in black painted frames. Whilst those surviving at Český Krumlov were reframed at a later date, some idea of their original appearance may be gleaned from two miniatures, very similar in style and almost certainly from the Český Krumlov series, which still have their original eighteenth-century painted frames. This pair of allegories of ‘Water’ and ‘Fire’ are now in the collection of the National Heritage Institute, State Castle Duchcov (inv. nos DH 8534 and 8535). The trompe l’ceil miniatures painted on the walls at Favoritenhof show similar black frames but include a narrow gold slip frame. The dimensions of the Duchcov miniatures, respectively 17.5 by 12 and 17.5 by 13cm, are slightly larger than those at Český Krumlov, which measure 16.5 by 10.5cm. The positioning of some of the Český Krumlov figures, with little space at the top, suggest that the sheets were cut down at some point, most likely at the time of reframing. The dimensions of the present twelve miniatures, each approximately 16.5 by 12cm, fall in between these two groups. This detail, together with the similarities of style, presentation and use of the same engraved sources all support the argument that the present miniatures were originally part of the Český Krumlov series, and were separated from the main group when the collection was re-organised in the mid-nineteenth century. The frame of these twelve drawings dates to the period of, or just after, the re-organisation.
Given that the history of both the Eggenberg and Schwarzenberg families had for so long been connected, albeit in conflict, with the Ottoman world, it is perhaps fitting that when tensions between the Austrians and the Turks began to recede after the Treaty of Karlowitz (1699), they should embrace the emerging taste for Turquerie and delight in the exotic. This is exemplified here in the images of a Sultan and Sultana, of three Persians, and of a Chinaman and maiden. Many of these characters would appear again in the extraordinary frescos that decorate the Hall of Masks at Český Krumlov castle, painted by Josef Lederer for Prince Josef Adam von Schwarzenberg in 1748.
The family of Baden-Baden provides another example of the shift of attitude from fear to fascination of the Turk: Sibylla Augusta of Saxe-Lauerburg, wife of Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden, ‘Türkenlouis’, assembled a group of watercolours of her family dressed à la turque, which remain at Schloss Favorite, Rastatt. In 1721 their son Louis George (1702-61) married Maria Anna, daughter of Prince Adam Franz von Schwarzenberg, the heir to Český Krumlov.
Comparative Literature: Kateřina Cichková et al, Plusieurs Nations, The Schwarzenberg Collection of Costume Miniatures in Český Krumlov Castle, České Budĕjovice, 2011.
The present twelve costume miniatures are as follows:
1. A man of quality from China
inscribed: Homme de q´úalitè [sic] de la Chine.
Almost certainly based on an untraced engraving by a member of the Bonnart family.
2. Chinese maiden
inscribed: Damoiselle Chinoise.
Based on an engraving by Henri II Bonnart.
3. The Sultan
inscribed: Le Grand Seigneur.
Based on an engraving by Nicolas Bonnart.
4. The Sultana
inscribed: La Grande Sŭltane.
Based on an engraving by Nicolas Bonnart. Another watercolour version of this composition is at Český Krumlov, inv. no. CK 9802.
5. A ‘Honack'
inscribed: Ein Honack.
Based on an engraving by Caspar Luyken, published by Christoph Weigel in 1703.
6. A ‘Honackin’
inscribed: Eine Hona.Kin.
Based on an engraving by Caspar Luyken, published by Christoph Weigel in 1703. Another watercolour version of this composition is at Český Krumlov, inv. no. 9790.
7. A Hungarian man
inscribed: Ein Hŭngar.
Based on an engraving published by Christoph Weigel in 1721 after Charles de Ferriol’s Receuil, plate 76.
8. A Hungarian woman
inscribed: Eine Vǒrnehme Hŭngarische fraŭ.
Based on an engraving by Caspar Luyken, published by Christoph Weigel in 1703.
9. A Persian Prince
inscribed: Ein Persianischer fürst im Statts Kleid.
Based on an engraving by Caspar Luyken, published by Christoph Weigel in 1703 (see fig.1).
10. An African woman
inscribed: Eine Afrikanerin im Staats Kleid.
Based on an engraving published by Christoph Weigel in 1721 after Charles de Ferriol’s Receuil, plate, no. 96.
11. A Persian man
inscribed: Ein Persianer.
Based on an engraving published by Christoph Weigel in 1721 after Charles de Ferriol’s Receuil, plate no. 90.
12. A Persian woman at home
inscribed: Eine Persianische fraŭ im haŭs.
Based on an engraving published by Christoph Weigel in 1721 after Charles de Ferriol’s Receuil, plate no. 91.
We are grateful to Haydn Williams, author of ‘Turquerie: An Eighteenth-Century European Fantasy’ for the above catalogue note.