Franz Joseph
1832
Before he became the longest-reigning Emperor of Austria, Franz Joseph was just a chubby-cheeked toddler with a toy horse. Josef Kriehuber, a master of Viennese society portraits, used soft watercolors and pencil to capture the future ruler in 1832 when the boy was only about two years old. Reflecting the Romantic movement's love for innocence and emotion, the delicate sketch gives the toddler an angelic look—a stark contrast to the stern, bearded monarch he would eventually become. It's a charming glimpse into the childhood of a man who would define an entire era of European history.
- Technique
- Watercolor and pencil
- Material
- Paper
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