The Tansey Miniatures Foundation

Die Miniatur Über den Künstler

The Tansey Miniatures Foundation

DE
The Miniature About the Artist

Christian IV, Duke of Palatinate-Zweibrücken (after Mannlich)

Georg Desmarées (Marées)

Desmarées was born in Sweden and became court painter to Prince-Elector Charles Theodore of Bavaria. He emerged as one of the leading portrait painters of his era and received numerous commissions in the following years, especially from the courts south German princes.
The gentleman represented in this portrait is Christian IV, Duke of Palatinate-Zweibrücken (1722-1775).1 This side branch of the Palatine Wittelsbacher dynasty, which was joined in personal union to the kingdom of Sweden from 1681 to 1718, emerged as an influential factor in the 18th century, for it was designated to succeed in the Palatinate and in Bavaria, where the Elector Charles Theodore governed without legitimate offspring. Christian had a morganatic married with the French actress Marianne Camasse, having six children who were not entitled to inherit. Christian was succeeded by his nephew Charles August, who in his turn was succeeded by his younger brother Maximilian, later King of Bavaria.
Christian was a sensitive man devoted to the fostering of the arts and sciences. His close connection to the French court and his personal relationship with Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour led him to stay several months in Paris and in the Palace of Versailles each year. There he organised an exchange between young French and German musicians who accompanied him on his journeys. The most well-known composer supported by the Duke of Zweibrücken was Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787),whom he introduced to the French king on the occasion of the performance of his operas “Iphigenia in Tauris” and “Orpheus and Eurydice”.
In this portrait miniature, Desmarées skilfully reproduced Christian IV’s features, which reveal his educated and charming character.2
J. S. O.

1 This miniature was created after an oil painting by Johann Christian von Mannlich, illustrated in Mannheim/Düsseldorf 1999, vol. 1, p. 31. The sitter’s face, posture, uniform and orders were directly copied from the painting, except for some scarcely visible details, which are due to the smallness of the format. Johann Christian von Mannlich was court painter and gallery director under Christian IV as well as construction director general under his successor Charles August. He also saved a collection of paintings at Castle Karlsberg near Homburg from the French revolutionary troops in 1793. The collection formed the basis of the later Old Pinakothek in Munich.
2 In a report by the French ambassador at the Court of Zweibrücken he is described as follows: “He is a tall, well-grown man of elegant build who unites noble decency with charming politeness. In his conversations he is gay and jocular. He has a sensitive wit. He loves the ladies and amusements, but also has a sound judgment as well as a clear, determined and eloquent way of expressing himself. He does not at all avoid work and is experienced in matters of business.” Mannheim/Düsseldorf 1999, vol. 1, p. 31.