Portrait of Prince August Ludwig von Anhalt-Köthen: A Representative Court Portrait

(1709 Berlin - 1782 ibid.), attr.; Portrait of Prince August Ludwig von Anhalt-Köthen. This representative court portrait depicts the prince in a kneeling pose, originally perhaps built into the wall panels of a castle or palace. August Ludwig von Anhalt-Köthen (1697 - 1755) became a self-governing prince in 1728 after the death of his older brother Leopold. Such advancement required corresponding portraits, including the one presented here. Joachim Martin Falbe was likely commissioned for this task. He completed his thorough artistic training in 1733 under Antoine Pesne in Berlin, where he remained for 15 years. Pesne and Falbe, who became an honorary member of the Berlin Royal Prussian Academy of Arts in 1756, held each other in high esteem. When the prince sought a skilled portraitist, Pesne recommended the talented Falbe, appointing him as the prince's court painter in 1739 until his return to Berlin. This portrait, presumably created in the same year, shows the prince standing in a majestically refined pose before a balustrade, with a massive column to his left. To the right, a view of a mountainous landscape opens up. The prince drapes his red ermine cloak over his right shoulder, proudly displaying the star of the Polish Order of the White Eagle on his back and wearing the blue ribbon of the Danish Order of the Elephant on his shoulder. Around his neck, he also wears the Russian Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky. The extended right forearm, with its pointing hand and blue ribbon, forms a defining compositional diagonal, while the left hand rests on a helmet. Similar are a series of portraits of the prince, long attributed to Pesne (Berckenhausen Wvz - No. 16 a-e), but likely works by Falbe, also dating to 1739. A variant of a slightly different portrait appeared in an official copper engraving by Johann Christoph Ziesang (1703 - 1757) in Samuel Lenz's work "Historisch-Genealogische Fürstellung des Hochfürstlichen Hauses Anhalt (...)", Köthen and Dessau 1757. Similar depictions also include a bust portrait in Köthen Castle (Red Room), as well as another copper engraving by Ziesang. Oil on canvas, relined; with a semi-circular arched top, now 163 cm x 104 cm; originally 148 cm x 104 cm. Needs restoration. Accompanied by an expert opinion by Professor Dr. Helmut Börsch-Supan, Berlin, August 2, 2015. Authorship attributed to Johann Martin Falbe (1709 - 1782).