Hyacinthe Rigaud, follower of - Frederick Augustus III of Saxony in armour and accompanied by a page

Hyacinthe Rigaud, follower of

Frederick Augustus III of Saxony in armour and accompanied by a page

Oil on canvas. 79 x 62,5 cm.
Framed with gilded wooden frame (92 x77 cm).

The painter of this portrait of Frederick Augustus III of Saxony as Crown Prince, the later great art collector to whom the Dresden Picture Gallery owes its most important works, used the monumental portrait painted of him by Hyacinthe Rigaud in 1714 as a model.
The painter of our smaller version copied every detail of the famous model, which is now in the Dresden painting collection. Yet his brushstroke is confident and powerful.

Frederick Augustus III of Saxony was the only legitimate son of Augustus the Strong. After his death in 1733, he became Elector and Duke of Saxony, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. It can be assumed that the present picture, which shows him still as crown prince, was probably painted before 1733.

Provenance

Private collection South Germany.

Literature

Cf. Thieme/Donath, Augusts Afrika - Afrika in Sachsen. Sachsen in Afrika im 18. Jahrhundert. Exhibition catalogue Moritzburg Castle 2022/23.