Johann Gottfried Auerbach (1697-1753) - Attributed, Portrait of Emperor Charles VI. (1685-1740) as Grand Master of the Order of the Golden Fleece, Johann Gottfried Auerbach (1697-1753) - Attributed, Portrait of Emperor Charles VI. (1685-1740) as Grand Mas

97 x 77 cm

Johann Gottfried Auerbach was primarily active as a portrait painter. In 1735 he was Emperor Charles VI. appointed imperial court painter, 1741 chamber painter. He painted numerous portraits of the Habsburgs and people from their circle.

A portrait in an oval medallion shows Emperor Charles VI. as Grand Master of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He has a chain of rank on his ceremonial cloak. This originally Burgundian, secular order of knights, founded in 1430, passed into the hands of the Habsburgs in 1477. From 1700, the Grand Master of the Order was Charles VI. The order was updated because Charles VI was able to acquire the Spanish Netherlands, which had previously belonged to Burgundy in the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1713, Charles VI celebrated the restoration of order in Vienna. The importance of the Order of the Golden Fleece for Charles VI is evident by the fact that Auerbach repeatedly depicted the emperor in orderly portraits. The painting is probably the work of the workshop and was originally used to decorate the castle hall.
Oil on canvas
Size 97 x 77 cm