Portrait of Emperor Joseph II
by MARON, Anton von, Oil on canvas, 57 x 40 cm
This is a sketch for an uncompleted portrait of the Emperor Joseph II (1741-1790). He was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. The eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I, Joseph II was the first Emperor of the House of Habsburg-Lothringen.
He stands in a splendid rococo interior, a view through an open window, a gilded throne to the left and a sculpture of the Ludovisi Ares behind him, indicating that the painting was done in Rome.