Artwork
Portrait of Ferdinand of Brunswick
Portrait of Ferdinand of Brunswick is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Johann Heinrich Tischbein. It dates from 1760 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting is a portrait of Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, executed by Johann Heinrich Tischbein in 1760 in oil on canvas and held by the Statens Museum for Kunst. As a formal portrait of a reigning duke, the work functions as an image of dynastic and military authority, presenting its sitter in the conventions of mid-eighteenth-century aristocratic portraiture. The identification of the subject as Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel is the central iconographic anchor of the canvas, framing the image around his public role rather than narrative or allegorical symbolism.
Because the sources record the work solely as a portrait of the duke without describing attributes, emblems, or symbolic objects, any further claims about specific iconographic details or layered meanings cannot be grounded in the available evidence.
Overview
Johann Heinrich Tischbein painted this portrait in 1760, employing oil on canvas to depict Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. The work belongs to the Rococo period and is part of the Statens Museum for Kunst’s collection. It presents the duke in an aristocratic pose, accompanied by a small dog, against a modest natural backdrop.
Technique & Style
Tischbein’s handling of light follows a chiaroscuro scheme, modeling the figure’s volume against a darker background and giving the foliage a subtle depth. The brushwork is smooth, typical of Rococo elegance, and the colour palette balances muted earth tones with the bright gold accents of the duke’s attire.
History & Provenance
The portrait was created during Tischbein’s mature period, when he was renowned for court commissions and mythological subjects. It remained in private collections before being acquired by the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it now serves as a representative example of German aristocratic portraiture from the mid‑18th century.
Artist & collection
Artist
Johann Heinrich Tischbein (3 October 1722 – 22 August 1789) was a German painter.
