#franz winterhalter

[catherinetheprincessofwales]

1855 - Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1839-1872) by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-1873).

[royalsofhistory]

💌 Royal women of Russia in paintings by German artist Franz X. Winterhalter, 19th century.

[watashinosukinamono]

[king-lafayette]

"Empress Elisabeth of Austria with diamond stars on her hair" by Franz Xaver Winterhalter

This portrait presents the empress in a romantic fashion, enhancing her reputation as one of the great beauties of her time. The empress appears in a sensual pose with naked shoulders and turning her head towards the viewer. She is wearing a white satin and tulle dress dotted with silver foil stars and with diamond stars in her hair. This portrait is one of Empress Elisabeth's most iconic representations and one of Winterhalter's best-known works.

Winterhalter came into his own as a portrait painter during the second Empire and he painted his best work during the last two decades of his life. He matched his style to the luxury and relaxed atmosphere of the age, its hedonism and gaiety. His female sitters of the 1850s and 1860s inhabit a different physiological climate from those he painted earlier; they are not reticent and reserved. His male sitters inspired few original or memorable compositions.

Winterhalter never received high praise for his work from serious critics, being constantly accused of superficiality and affectation in pursuit of popularity. However, he was highly appreciated by his aristocratic patrons. The royal families of England, France, Spain, Russia, Portugal, Mexico, and Belgium all commissioned him to paint portraits. His monumental canvases established a substantial popular reputation, and lithographic copies of the portraits helped to spread his fame.

Winterhalter's portraits were prized for their subtle intimacy; the nature of his appeal is not difficult to explain. He created the image his sitters wished or needed to project to their subjects. He was not only skilled at posing his sitters to create almost theatrical compositions, but also was a virtuoso in the art of conveying the texture of fabrics, furs and jewellery, to which he paid no less attention than to the face. He painted very rapidly and very fluently, designing most of his compositions directly in the canvas. His portraits are elegant, refined, lifelike, and pleasantly idealized.

part 1

[madeleineengland]

Victoria's Portrait during her marriage painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1847, as an anniversary present for Prince Albert.

⠀

The lace was designed by William Dyce, head of the then Government School of Design (later known as the Royal College of Art), and mounted on a white satin dress made by Mary Bettans. Orange flower blossoms, a symbol of fertility, also trimmed the dress and made up Victoria's wreath, which she wore instead of a tiara over her veil.

The veil, which matched the flounce of the dress, was four yards in length and 0.75 yards wide. Her jewellery consisted of diamond earrings and necklace, and a sapphire brooch given to her by Albert.

The slippers she wore matched the white colour of the dress. The train of the dress, carried by her bridesmaids, measured 18 feet (5.5 m) long. ⠀

Queen Victoria described her choice of dress in her journal thus: "I wore a white satin dress, with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, an imitation of an old design. My jewels were my Turkish diamond necklace & earrings & dear Albert's beautiful sapphire brooch." ⠀

[signedvivi]

A study of Winterhalter

[victorianpainting-blog]

Victorian Dresses Painted By Franz Winterhalter

[anneboleyns]

I made these the other day bec I was bored, feel free to use as headers or icons or phone screens or whatever but please credit my instagram @ emilyshan if you repost bec the backgrounds are all my original photography lol

click on the picture for the name of the painting