A pair of magnificent German Baroque giltwood frames, Made for the portraits of Prince Johann Wilhelm Joseph von der Pfalz, Elector of the Palatine (1658-1716) and Princess Anna Maria Luisa dei Medici of Tuscany (1667-1743) circa 1691, Rhineland

The John Hobbs Collection

Christie's London, July 4, 1996, lot 274.

By repute Richard Temple, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1776-1839), Stowe House, Buckinghamshire

Probably Schloss Bensberg, Bergisch Gladbach, near Cologne

Now with later mirror plates. Both frames regilt. Scattered age and construction cracks. One with crown on top, right-side scrolling ornament and one tassel on bottom partially recarved. Small losses to carving and gesso. The back with traces of old woodworm. A highly impressive lot in good restored 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The decoration and iconography of these frames, conceived in the seventeenth-century, "Roman" and "antique" manner, were executed for portraits of Prince Johann Wilhelm Joseph von der Pfalz, Elector of the Palatine, Duke of Bavaria, son of Philippe Wilhelm (1615-1690) and Elisabeth von Hessen-Darmstadt (1658-1716) and Princess Anna Maria Luisa dei Medici probably at the time of or shortly following their marriage on June 5, 1691. The richly bejewelled triumphal medallion frame for the prince is decorated with a war trophy surmounted by a crown held by lions crouching on cornucopias entwined in palm leaves that symbolizes Ceres' triumph as goddess of peace and plenty. The lower section of the prince's frame is occupied by a putto carrying Hercules' club, recalling Love's power in the enslavement of the ancient hero, and thus alluding to the prince's succombing to love. The chain framing the portrait is that of the Order of the Golden Fleece to which Wilhelm Joseph was elected a knight on September 6, 1685, and in which he was invested by the emperor in Vienna on January 12, 1686. The frame of Anna Maria Luisa, daughter of Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1642-1723) and Marguerite Louise d'Orléans (1645-1721), is also surmounted by a crown and is decorated with palm and laurel branches tied by a portrait medallion chain, presumably depicting figures such as Cosimo I, the princely couple and the parents of the princess. The winged putti on the upper section of the frame are shown heralding the fame of the Medici using trumpets hung with banners displaying the Medici palle. The two putti, which appear to be supporting the portrait of the princess, are surrounded by flowers such as lilies expressing the purity of the new wife and also symbolizing the city of Florence.

Although these frames are based on Italian designs, and previously thought to be Italian, their compositions, the modeling of the figures and the cornucopias point to a more northern place of origin. Germany or, more specifically, the Rhineland with a strong Dutch influence of for example Dutch-born woodcarver Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721) taught by Artus Quellinus (1609-1688) is the most likely place of manufacture. The massive composition of the frames, coupled with their purpose, also points to the German origin. A similarly decorated oval Swedish Baroque frame of roughly the same size and date carved by Bremen-born Burchard Precht (1651-1738) to a design of Nicodemus Tessin the Younger (1654-1728) for a portrait of King Charles XI of Sweden (1655-1697) by David Klocker Ehrenstrahl (1629-1698) is in the Sinebrychoff Museum of Foreign Art, Helsinki, see Paul Mitchell and Lynn Robberts, Frameworks, London, 1996, pp. 141-142, fig. 107. Compare also a Frankfurt example attributed to Friedrich Unteutsch. See Graham Child, World Mirrors 1650-1990, London, 1990, ill. 458.

Johann Wilhem II Elector Palatine, also known as Johann Wilhelm von Neuburg, or "Jan Wellem" in low German (im Volksmund) was elector 1690-1716, Duke of Neuburg Danube (1690-1716) Duke of Jülich and Berg (1679-1716) and Duke of the Upper Palatinate and Cham (1707-1714) from 1697 onward he was also Count of Megen. During the Spanish Succession Johann Wilhelm received the Bavarian Upper Palatinate. Born in Düsseldorf, he was educated by the Jesuits and in 1674 he made a Grand Tour to Italy. Extremely popular in Jülich Berg, he erected impressive buildings, such as the Schloss Bensberg, designed by Venetian architect count Matteo d'Alberti (1646-1735), modeled after Schloss Schönbrunn. He led a lavish court, which gave work to many artists and artisians, such as Adriaen van der Werff, Eglon van der Neer, Rachel Ruysch and Jan Weenix. His enormous collection of paintings can still be seen in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich and the Schleissheim Palace in Oberschleissheim near Munich.

These impressive frames were later reputedly at Stowe House, Buckinghamshire and could have been acquired by the first Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. However, lacking their original paintings they are nearly impossible to trace. The sales took place at Stowe on August 15, 1848, for thirty-seven days on July 4, 1921, for twenty-four days and on October 11, 1922 for four days.