Who painted Portrait of Empress Maria Theresa?

Portrait of Empress Maria Theresa was painted by Christian Kollonitsch in 1766.

Where can I see Portrait of Empress Maria Theresa?

Portrait of Empress Maria Theresa is held by Statens Museum for Kunst.

What movement is Portrait of Empress Maria Theresa?

Portrait of Empress Maria Theresa is associated with Rococo painting.

Artwork

Portrait of Empress Maria Theresa

Christian Kollonitsch , 1766

Portrait of Empress Maria Theresa is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Christian Kollonitsch. It dates from 1766 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Rendered in oil on canvas, the work measures 281 cm by 168 cm and is housed in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

The painting shows Maria Theresa of Austria in regal attire, emphasizing her imperial authority and the political stability she embodied during the mid‑18th century. Symbolic elements such as the imperial crown and scepter underscore her role as sovereign ruler, while the richly detailed background conveys the cultural patronage associated with her reign. Rendered in oil on canvas, the work measures 281 cm by 168 cm and is housed in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

Technique & Style

The portrait of Empress Maria Theresa by Christian Kollonitsch is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard medium for formal state portraiture of the period. According to the catalogue record, the work measures 2810.0 in height by 1680.0 in width, giving it a distinctly vertical, full-length format suited to a standing imperial figure. The painting belongs to the portrait genre and is classified as a painting within the Statens Museum for Kunst collection.

Stylistically, the use of oil on canvas is consistent with mid-eighteenth-century courtly portrait conventions, allowing for the layered modelling and rich surface finish typical of Habsburg court imagery of the 1760s. The vertical canvas proportions support the conventional hierarchical presentation of the empress as a monumental, full-length sitter.

History & Provenance

The portrait of Empress Maria Theresa was created by Christian Kollonitsch in 1766. Executed in oil paint on canvas, the work depicts the Austrian monarch and measures 281 cm in height by 168 cm in width. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

Specific details regarding the original commission, the identity of the initial patron, or the precise chain of ownership prior to its arrival at the museum are not provided in the available records.

Overview

This oil painting, created in 1766 by Christian Kollonitsch, is a portrait of Empress Maria Theresa. It is now part of the collection at the Statens Museum for Kunst.