HEINRICH FRIEDERICH FÜGER (1751-1818)
Portrait miniature of Count Joseph Johann von Fries (1765-1788), facing to the left, wearing a purple jacket over a white shirt with upstanding double lawn collar, red cloak draped over his shoulder, and grey hat adorned with an ostrich feather; circa 1785
Watercolour and bodycolour on ivory
Ivory registration number: YN7Z2P58
Stamped gilt-metal mount with beaded outer border.
Oval, 77 mm high
Provenance: Consul Eugen Gutmann (1840-1925), Berlin, by 1912; with Bachstitz Galleries, The Hague, on consignment by 1921 and until 1924; Fritz Gutmann (1886–1944), Amsterdam and Heemstede, from 1924 (inventory no 155); Forced sale to Julius Böhler, Munich, 11 February 1942; Munich Central Collecting Point, 1945, from which returned to the Netherlands in 1946, and restituted to the Gutmann Trust in 1949; A La Vieille Russie, New York, acquired from the Gutmann family in about 1952; Greta Shield Heckett (1899-1976), Pittsburgh, U.S.A.; her sale, Sotheby's, Monaco, 4 May 1977, lot 68; Christie’s, London, 27 November 2012, lot 236; Sotheby’s, London, April 28 2021, lot 489; Private Collection, UK.
Exhibited: Darmstadt, Hessisches Landesmuseum, Jahrhundert-Austellung Deutscher Kunst 1660-1800, 1914 (lent by Consul Eugen Gutmann); Pittsburgh, Pa., Carnegie Institute, Four Centuries of Portrait Miniatures from the Heckett Collection, 1954, no. 95, illustrated pl. XXV.
Literature: R. Keil, Heinrich Friedrich Füger 1751-1818, Vienna, 2009, p. 247, under cat. no. WV 160.
£11,500
Please contact Emma Rutherford: emma@portraitminiature.com / +44(0)7983510056
“Joseph was a patron of the arts, collecting and commissioning many different items, exemplified by the numerous portraits of himself…”
The sitter of this miniature is Count Joseph Johann von Fries, a member of one of the wealthiest families in Austria at the time of the painting’s creation. After inheriting his father’s fortune in 1785, Joseph embarked on a grand tour of Italy. It was during this short trip, before his premature death in 1788, that he became acquainted with Johan Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)[1]. His brother, Count Moritz von Fries, then inherited his fortune, which may have helped him to pursue his patronage of the arts, especially music.
Joseph, as can be ascertained from Goethe’s record of his travels in Italy, was also a patron of the arts, and in these last few years of his life collected and commissioned many different items. This is exemplified by the numerous portraits of himself, including the present miniature, that he commissioned at the same time. Füger painted another, larger version of the miniature[2], and Angelica Kauffman painted a portrait of the count (1741-1807). It is possible that this latter portrait would have been produced while Joseph was in Italy, as ‘Angelica’ is mentioned numerous times by Goethe. The features of the sitters face, and especially the fashion, of the sitter in the present miniature, are very similar, allowing us to be confident in this identification. He wears a feathered hat and red sash in both portraits, and this is something that is highlighted in the present miniature in the fact that the reverse features a sample of red damask to compliment his outfit.
Füger was also connected with Kauffman, and drew her on at least one occasion[3]. Both artists were known to travel throughout their life, and to take up many different subjects within their paintings. This is exemplified by the large historical paintings that both Kauffman and Füger created during their careers.
Although Füger did not travel outside of Vienna in the period we are concerned with here, Kaufmann moved between different countries during her career, so it is likely that they would have crossed paths. The two artists are also connected in the vast range of experimental media that they explored. It is likely that the artist would have met Count Joseph in Vienna before he departed for his tour, as this is where the Fries family was based. The resulting miniature evokes a strong connection between a talented artist and his appreciative patron.
[1] British Museum Online,‘Joseph Johann, Graf von Fries’, accessed 18/04/2024, at https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG146695#:~:text=Merchant%20and%20collector%3B%20older%20brother,making%20cotton%20and%20brass%20goods. .
[2] R. Keil, Heinrich Friedrich Füger 1751-1818, Vienna, 2009. p. 247.
[3] Sold by Stephen Ongpin, see https://www.stephenongpin.com/object/811745/0/friedrich-heinrich-Füger-heilbronn.