Maria Theresia Isabella, Archduchess of Austria (1816–1867), Queen of the Two Sicilies (1837–1859), oo Ferdinand II. (1810–1859), Copy after Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830)

During his stay in Vienna, Lawrence painted a full-length portrait of Archduke Charles of Austria (1771–1847) for the Waterloo series. The result impressed the subject so greatly that he commissioned the artist to paint portraits of his wife, Henriette von Nassau-Weilburg (1797–1829), and their daughter Maria Theresia Isabella (1816–1867). Daffinger’s copy of the full-length portrait of the three-year-old is almost the same size as the subject herself. In the landscape, the little girl is sitting on the ground, tying the laces of her red shoes. Lawrence liked to encourage the children he portrayed to do this, since it gave him the opportunity to study their comportment and to present it as naturally as possible. The child’s white dress contrasts with the prestigious symbol of the red draperies. The painting’s prominent previous owner was Archduke Ludwig Viktor of Austria (1842–1919). An indication of the subject’s popularity is the number of miniature copies made. Daffinger, who produced many of these, executed Archduchess Maria Theresia Isabella on ivory.

Ducke Astrid: Bestseller der Lieblichkeit I Adorable best-sellers. In: Ducke Astrid, Habersatter Thomas (Hrsg. I Ed.): Face to Face. Österreichische Porträtmalerei des 19. Jahrhunderts. 19th-century Austrian portrait painting. Residenzgalerie Salzburg I DomQuartier Salzburg 6.6.-29.9.2025. Salzburg 2025, S. I p. 119-120, Abb. I Illus. 2