The work of Flemish-born Swedish portrait painter Martin van Meytens was accomplished in Vienna, where he became court painter to Maria Theresa and director of the Academy of Fine Arts. In this self-portrait, we see a satisfied, self-conscious painter who is slightly even admiring himself in his role. The pendant and chain around his neck were given to him by the Swedish monarch Frederick for his portrait of the royal couple, and the picture he holds is of his main patron, Maria Theresa. This meticulously detailed picture perfectly demonstrates the artist’s excellent sense to meet the demands of representative Baroque-Rococo court portraiture, which was not short of excessive affectation and flattery.
Benkő, Éva – Garas, Klára – Urbach, Zsuzsa, Ember, Ildikó – Takács, Imre (eds.), Old Masters’ Gallery Summary Catalogue Vol. 3: German, Austrian, Bohemian and British Paintings 3, Budapest, p. 96-97.
Pigler, Andor, Katalog der Galerie Alter Meister, 1-2. Museum der Bildenden Künste, Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest. 2, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1967, p. 441, 367.
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