A pair of portrait miniatures of the Dukes of Mecklenburg Schwerin
Gouache on ivory. 1. Depicting Duke Ludwig von Mecklenburg-Schwerin in a breastplate, wearing the blue ribbon of the Danish Order of the Elephant. 2. Depicting Hereditary Prince Ludwig von Mecklenburg-Schwerin against a landscape. In the original crowned repoussé silver gilt surround, with a contemporary inscription on the reverse providing the name and dates of birth and death of the sitter. Not removed from the frame. C. 5 x 7 cm (image). Frame 9.7 x 9 cm.
German school, 18th C.
Christian Ludwig (Grabow 1683 - Schwerin 1756), son of Duke Friedrich von Mecklenburg-Schwerin, married Gustava Caroline Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1714 and reigned as Duke from 1747 onwards. His reign was characterized by a blossoming in the culture sphere. The ducal art collections and Baroque gardens at Schwerin Palace both owe their creation to his initiative and connoisseurship. In 1737 he was appointed a knight of the Order of the Elephant by the Danish King Christian VI, which provides us with a “terminus post quem” for the dating of this miniature. His second son was Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Grabow 1725 - Schwerin 1778), who never ruled. He and his wife, Princess Charlotte Sophie von Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld, were also both avid patrons of the fine arts.