Artwork
The Elector of Saxony's Italian Dwarf, Giachomo Favorchi with Princess Magdalene Sibylle's Dog, Raro
The Elector of Saxony's Italian Dwarf, Giachomo Favorchi with Princess Magdalene Sibylle's Dog, Raro is an oil painting by Abraham Wuchters. It dates from 1665 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Painted in 1665, this work functions as a portrait depicting Giachomo Favorchi, an Italian dwarf serving the Elector of Saxony.
Painted in 1665, this work functions as a portrait depicting Giachomo Favorchi, an Italian dwarf serving the Elector of Saxony. The composition centers on Favorchi alongside Raro, a Great Dane belonging to Princess Magdalene Sibylle. The iconography juxtaposes the human figure, characterized by dwarfism, with the large dog, creating a visual contrast in scale and status within the court hierarchy.
By including the specific names of both the dwarf and the animal, the painting documents their roles as distinct members of the royal household rather than generic types. The work represents a specific moment in Danish court life, preserving the identities of these subordinate yet recognized figures through the formal medium of oil on canvas.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting on canvas, a portrait depicting Giachomo Favorchi alongside Princess Magdalene Sibylle's dog, a Great Dane. The canvas measures 163 cm in height by 104 cm in width, an upright format suited to a full-length double portrait. The medium and support are consistent with mid-seventeenth-century Northern European portrait practice, executed in oil paint on canvas.
The painting is attributed to Abraham Wuchters, with Karel van Mander III also credited as a creator in the collection record.
The portrait is held by the Statens Museum for Kunst. The source materials do not provide additional detail on handling, condition, palette, brushwork, or specific stylistic qualities beyond the attribution, medium, and dimensions.
History & Provenance
The portrait was created in 1665 by the artist Abraham Wuchters. It depicts Giachomo Favorchi, the Italian dwarf of the Elector of Saxony, alongside Raro, the dog belonging to Princess Magdalene Sibylle. The work is executed in oil paint on canvas and measures 163 cm in height by 104 cm in width. Current records indicate the painting is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
The painting is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen. Its accession number is not specified in the sources. The work was created in 1665 by Abraham Wuchters and is classified as a portrait. It has been exhibited in the museum’s galleries as part of its permanent display of European portraiture.
Overview
Abraham Wuchters, a painter from Brabant who worked chiefly in Denmark, completed an oil portrait in 1665 that pairs a man of short stature with a large white dog. The work is part of the Statens Museum for Kunst collection and exemplifies the artist’s activity among the Danish aristocracy and affluent middle class during the mid‑seventeenth century.
Artist & collection
Artist
Abraham Wuchters (1608 – 23 May 1682) was a Brabant-born Dutch-Danish painter and engraver.
