Thursday 5 February 2015

Portrait of Archduchess Eleonora of Mantua by Jakob Seisenegger



The artist, Jakob Seisenegger, was completely unknown to me until I came across this in a book.  I wanted to show this portrait to you because I was struck particularly by the expression on this little girl's face.

She must have been a right little grump for the artist to have painted her like this.  Remember this is not a photo but a painting that will have taken some time to do.  For the artist to choose to paint her like this was almost subversive!

I also love the rich clothing and jewellery on this very young child – barely past baby stage.

The artist was an Austrian who was appointed to the court of the Hapsburg's.  This painting was done around 1536.

5 comments:

  1. Interesting information! Thanks for sharing! <3 - www.domesticgeekgirl.com

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  2. She seems either grumpy/determined or both! lol

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  3. Replies
    1. Normally portraits were expected to be flattering = so the artist is flouting that convention and allowing his true feelings to come through

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