Beskrivning: Ferdinand III framställs här som segerherre över de protestantiska styrkorna i trettioåriga kriget. Det militära understryks genom kejsarens rustning och kommandostav. På bordet ligger en gravyr eller en teckning som visar slaget vid Nördlingen år 1634, där de kejserliga trupperna besegrade de svenska och de sachsiska. Detta samt målningens stil har lett till förmodan att den utfördes omkring 1638, då Luyckx anställdes vid Ferdinand III:s hov.

Res. Katalogtext: Statens porträttsamling: nationens minne under sex sekel

Description: Ferdinand III is portrayed here as victor over the Protestant forces in the Thirty Years War, the military context underlined by his armour and baton. On the table is an engraving or drawing of the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634, in which the imperial troops defeated the Swedish and Saxon forces. This and the style of the painting have led to the assumption that it dates from around 1638, when Luyckx was appointed at the court of Ferdinand III.

Catalogue raisonné: 

Technical notes: The support of coarse plain-weave
fabric consists of three pieces joined horizontally that are
stitched to edge with visible selvedges at the seams and
the upper tacking edge. The painting has been lined
(compare with no. 120) and as a result the impasto areas
have been flattened. The painting has probably been
trimmed at the bottom. The support has been prepared
with an evenly applied brownish-red ground that covers
the texture of the canvas. The figures have been delineated
against the background and foreground. The flesh
tones of the face are evenly executed with white, red and
yellow pigments mixed and applied opaquely. The
armour is executed opaquely and covers the ground
entirely, while the collar has areas of impasto in the form
of highlights. The paint layer is not made up of several
layers but is simple in structure. The varnish layer has
yellowed evenly. UV examination reveals that retouches
have been made in the seams of the canvas, the right
hand side of the background and above the subject’s
head. There are few retouches on the map. The inscription
has been enhanced to some extent. The signature is
only slightly enhanced. The painting underwent conservation
treatment in 1925.

Provenance: Prague 1648; (according to the records
there is a companion piece numbered 75 and dated 1657;
Royal Wardrobe inventory 1661, no. 30(?); Royal
Armoury; Gripsholm 1794.

Exhibited: Stockholm 1966, cat. no. 75, pp. 94–95;
Münster-Osnabrück 1998, cat. no. 151, p. 73; Rome
2003, no. 31; Augsburg 2005, cat. no. II. 39, pp. 369–371.

Bibliography: Granberg 1902, p.112; Granberg 1911,
no. 549; Granberg 1912, p. 112 no. 123; Granberg 1929,
pp. 104, 129; Ebenstein 1907, pp. 196, 222; Cat. Grips -
holm I, Stockholm 1951, p. 13.

Ferdinand III was the son of Ferdinand II and Maria
Anna of Bavaria. He was King of Hungary from 1625,
King of Bohemia from 1627 and the Holy Roman
Emperor from 1637. Ferdinand III was very interested
in science and appears politically to have been more
prepared to compromise than his father. During the
reign of Ferdinand II he served with distinction in the
Thirty Years War and was, for instance, in command
at the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634. In 1648, however,
he was forced to conclude the Peace of Westphalia at
the cost of major territorial concessions and relinquishment
of the attempt to unify Germany under a
strong emperor.

In this full-length portrait at Gripsholm Castle the
emphasis is on Ferdinand III’s martial prowess, in particular
the role he played as commander-in-chief at
the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634. This is shown by the
map on the table next to the subject. The battle,
fought on 27 August 1634, was to be one of the most
important encounters during the Thirty Years War.
Here the Imperial army of 33,000 men led by
Matthias Gallas vanquished the Protestant force of
26,000 men commanded by Gustaf Horn and Bernhard
of Weimar. The result of the Protestant defeat
was calamitous for Sweden in depriving the country of
its political and military significance. Two of its allies,
for instance, Saxony and Bohemia, signed separate
peace treaties with Emperor Ferdinand II.
Permitting this portrayal as the triumphant commander-
in-chief at this battle must be viewed as a
political, ideological choice. In no other victory was
Ferdinand III to be as successful. As if equipped for
battle, Ferdinand III is depicted in silver armour decorated
with gold and with a large lace collar over his
shoulders. His right hand rests on a marshal’s staff. His
gauntleted left hand is lying on a table, on which lie his
helmet and a map of the Battle of Nördlingen. The
Order of the Golden Fleece, to which the Habsburgs
attached such great significance, hangs from a chain.
He has long, dark hair, moustache and a pointed beard
and is gazing with determination at the viewer. He is
rendered with self-assured elegance in front of artfully
hung drapings and the room that can be glimpsed
behind him. Several other portraits of Ferdinand III
which stress his martial exploits in particular have
been preserved. One of them is a full-length portrait
by Frans Luyckx in the Royal Palace in Warsaw,
another a full-length portrait by Wolfgang Heimbach
from 1649 that belongs to the art collection of the
Benedictine Abbey at Göttweig. Several half-length
portraits based on Frans Luyckx’s full-length work in
the Gripsholm collection can be seen in a number of
collections, as well as several graphic versions of the
same type of portrait.

The Gripsholm inventory lists what could be a
companion piece in a portrait depicting his consort,
Eleonora of Gonzaga, (no. 120). Technical examination
reveals that the portrait listed as Grh 75 (no. 120)
has a similar coarse plain-weave canvas as the present
painting. The full-length portrait of Ferdinand III was
painted in a similar manner to the portrait of Leopold
Wilhelm (no. 118) so that the background was first
painted separately and an outline left for the subject.
In terms of painting technique, however, the execution
is simpler, particularly where different details in the
scene and the armour are concerned, which suggests
that they were painted by a studio assistant.
KS
[End]

Utforska konstnärer och föremål som finns i Nationalmuseums samlingar.

Explore the artists and artworks of Nationalmuseum Sweden.

Frans Luyckx | Ferdinand III (1608–1657), tysk- romersk kejsare, omkr. 1638(?) | Nationalmuseum

Frans Luyckx | Ferdinand III (1608–1657), Holy Roman Emperor, c. 1638 (?) | Nationalmuseum

Titel (sv): Ferdinand III (1608–1657), tysk- romersk kejsare, omkr. 1638(?)
Titel (en): Ferdinand III (1608–1657), Holy Roman Emperor, c. 1638 (?)
Tidigare: Ferdinand III, 1608-57, tysk-romersk kejsare
Tidigare: Ferdinand III (1608-57) Holy Roman Emperor

Title (sv): Ferdinand III (1608–1657), tysk- romersk kejsare, omkr. 1638(?)
Title (en): Ferdinand III (1608–1657), Holy Roman Emperor, c. 1638 (?)
Previous: Ferdinand III, 1608-57, tysk-romersk kejsare
Previous: Ferdinand III (1608-57) Holy Roman Emperor