Point of View #29

DOI: 10.60477/f4bx-dm39

Abstract
 In 1770, Mengs returned to Italy to serve as court painter to King Charles III of Spain, portraying his family in Florence and Naples. A highlight of his work is the freshly restored portrait of Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Two Sicilies presented here: it combines the representational style and virtuoso painting technique of Velázquez with a natural vitality inspired by the contemporary educational ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

DOI: 10.60477/6dk1-nj52

Abstract 

Anton Raphael Mengs (1728–1779), regarded as one of the founding fathers of Classicism due to his history paintings and allegories, was also an outstanding portrait painter. After creating several pastel portraits in Dresden during the 1740s, he opened up a new clientele with his move to Rome in 1752, attracting visitors of the Eternal City and members of the Church. His appointment to the Madrid court in 1761 shifted the focus of his portrait work to the royal sphere.

DOI: 10.60477/dgd0-bq47

Abstract
The walnut panel painting, whose original painting is exceptionally well preserved, was restored in 2023. The measures included the reduction of the altered varnish coatings, the removal of old retouching, the stabilisation of the panel, and the integration of paint losses, allowing the colours to shine again in full brilliance. To protect it from climatic fluctuations, it was integrated into a climate vitrine.