Boy with the Order of St Hubert

This tiny enamel portrait of an unknown boy can be attributed to Johann Friedrich Ardin on stylistic grounds. The glowing colours and the particularly confident brushwork – as shown by the precise rendering of curls – are key aspects found in other works by the artist. Ardin also favoured light blue counter enamel, which covers the reverse of this portrait. The sitter is about twelve years old and portrayed dressed like an adult. He is wearing a purple cloak edged with ermine over his cuirass. The green-edged red sash of the Order of St Hubert stretches across his left shoulder, and its star can be seen on his breastplate. A long, curly powdered wig further emphasises the boy’s estate and rather obscures the fact that he is still a child. The cloak and the order make it clear that this is a prince. The order allows the work to be dated somewhat more precisely. It cannot have been painted before 1708 because the Order of St Hubert was ceremonially reinstated on 29 September of that year by Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine, after it had been forgotten for almost a hundred years.¹ It was awarded in recognition of special loyalty to the ruler and for exceptional service.

B. P.