Location: Atrium d’Onore
Soon after moving to Trieste, Maximilian began commissioning copies of portraits from imperial collections, establishing a collection of his own. Likenesses of his great-great-grandparents, Maria Theresa of Austria (1717-1780) and Francis I of Lorraine (1708-1765) appear several times.
This elegant portrait of Maria Theresa at around 11 years old was based on a painting by Danish artist Andreas Møller from circa 1727. The original is owned by the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, and is on display in the portrait gallery of Ambras Castle in Innsbruck. Wearing a deep blue dress trimmed in pearls and golden embroidery, the princess holds colourful flowers in her hand and folds of her dress, symbolising the beauty of youth.
Next to the portrait of Maria Theresa is that of a young Francis of Lorraine dressed in hunting attire. The original, by an unknown artist, can be dated to circa 1723 and is displayed in the hunting room of Schönbrunn Palace. The future emperor is portrayed at 15 years old, the age he would have become part of the royal court. He had been identified as the potential husband of Maria Theresa with the goal of creating an alliance between the House of Lorraine and the Hapsburgs.
The wedding between Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen was central to the celebratory narration of the Hapsburg monarchy over the coming centuries: their union allowed the dynasty to continue on, despite Charles VI having no male heirs.
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