its-versailles: The Empress Eugénie Surrounded by her Ladies in…
Sunday, February 9th, 2014The Empress Eugénie Surrounded by her Ladies in Waiting (1855) by Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Château de Compiègne.
I love how with Winterhalter it’s always about the dresses. And I love the subversive way he’s almost, but not quite, taken the focus off Empress Eugénie and placed it on green-dress lady in the front of the group (or rather, on her dress).
Winterhalter was the son of a peasant farmer and originally trained as a draughtsman and lithographer before becoming the favorite portraitist of European royalty. This painting, of the wife of Napoleon III, France’s last monarch and first elected president, is considered his masterpiece.
Wikipedia links:
- Franz Xaver Winterhalter
- Eugégnie de Montijo
- Napoleon III
- large image (1,346 × 934) of The Empress Eugenie Surrounded by her Ladies in Waiting
Reposted from http://ift.tt/1lRfUu6.
