Artwork

The countesses Elisabeth, Christiane and Marie Karoline Thun-Hohenstein-Klösterle

The countesses Elisabeth, Christiane and Marie Karoline Thun-Hohenstein-Klösterle is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Heinrich Füger. It dates from 1794 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin. Created in 1794 by the German painter Heinrich Friedrich Füger, this group portrait presents three members of the Thun‑Hohenstein family.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The work depicts three sisters, Elisabeth, Christiane, and Marie Karoline Thun-Hohenstein, arranged in a group portrait by the Austrian painter Heinrich Füger in 1788. Their attire and setting reflect the refined conventions of late eighteenth-century aristocratic portraiture, emphasizing lineage and familial bonds within the Thun-Hohenstein family. The composition and style align with the neoclassical emphasis on clarity and order, positioning the sitters as emblematic of their social standing and dynastic identity during the period.

History & Provenance

Wikidata records the work's location and collection as the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, indicating that the portrait has been part of that museum's holdings.

The oil on canvas portrait depicting the three sisters, Maria Elisabeth von Thun und Hohenstein, Maria Christina Thun und Hohenstein, and Marie‑Caroline von Thun, was painted by Heinrich Füger in 1788 and entered the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, where it remains on display.

The painting has been held in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, the collection of which is identified as its institutional repository. Wikidata records the work's location and collection as the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, indicating that the portrait has been part of that museum's holdings. No accession number is documented in the available sources.

No exhibition history is recorded in the provided sources, and no loans or display venues beyond the Gemäldegalerie Berlin are documented.

Overview

Created in 1794 by the German painter Heinrich Friedrich Füger, this group portrait presents three members of the Thun‑Hohenstein family. Executed in a rococo idiom, the canvas now belongs to the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin and exemplifies Füger’s blend of portraiture and classicist sensibility.

Technique & Style

Füger employs a delicate chiaroscuro, allowing a soft, luminous glow to illuminate the women’s faces while the surrounding space recedes into shadow. The rendering of fabrics, ribbons in their high coiffures, and the subtle handling of light on the floral bouquets underscore the rococo emphasis on elegance and texture.

Portrait of Marie Karolina Anna, Countess Thun, Heinrich Füger

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Artist & collection

Artist

Heinrich Füger

Heinrich Friedrich Füger (8 December 1751 – 5 November 1818) was a German portrait and historical painter and one of the most important German representatives of classicism.