The children of Maria Theresa, Martin van Meytens

The children of Maria Theresa, Martin van Meytens (1750)

This representative painting could be attributed to an apprentice of Martin van Meytens, Vienna court painter of the Habsburg family. It shows the five children of Maria Theresa, likely dressed in Hungarian attire for political reasons. In the centre there is young Joseph II, later Austrian Emperor and Hungarian King, to the left Princess Maria Anna, behind him Prince Charles Joseph, on the right Maria Elisabeth Josepha holding flowers, and beside her maybe Princess Maria Amelia. The gestures of Joseph II and Maria Anna direct attention to the badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece, sworn to protect faith and morality. It was the family order of the Habsburg family since 1477. The exquisiteness of the embroidered silk and brocade dresses richly adorned with furs and lace is notable, just as the detailed illustration of jewels decorating the clothes and headgears. They are sign of the master’s origins as a Flemish miniature painter, faithfully reproduced by his apprentice.