This late 18th-century Austrian oil painting depicts a young Joseph Thaddäus Glaser Von Glasersberg.
Attired in a formal red and gold riding coat, he clutches the reins of a pony. A cavalry sword is attached to his belt and his hair is powdered to perfection. It’s a remarkable portrayal of a young man destined to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Joseph Thaddäus Von Glasersberg was born in 1771 and descended from Bohemian nobility. Little is known about his life aside from a reference in the archives to his purchase of Stranitz Castle near Brüx, Bohemia, which was built by Franz Xaver Glaser von Glasersberg, presumably his father or uncle. The castle was a two-wing, one-story building with fine allegorical statues representing the four seasons and one can imagine this portrait proudly hanging in a palatial setting.
In the early 1970s, the village of Stranitz was filled with mining rubble and, as such, the castle no longer exists. This piece, from around 1780 is perhaps the only survivor of an interior now lost to time.
Held within a simple wooden frame, which could be original.
Medium: Oil on canvas laid on board
Overall size: 30” x 37” / 76cm x 94cm
Year of creation: c. 1780
Labels & Inscriptions: Inscribed with the sitter’s name on reverse.
Provenance: Private collection, Austria.
Condition: Assessed and approved by our conservator. Cleaned. Revarnished. Fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Frame with light marks and signs of age including a missing black veneered corner panel in the lower left.
Our reference: BRV1866
