Source: Nationaal Archief

Source: Nationaal Archief

Source: Deutsche Fotothek

Prince Eduard von und zu Liechtenstein was a member of the Princely House of Liechtenstein and a diplomat who served the Austro-Hungarian Empire and later Austria. He was the son of Prince Franz de Paula of Liechtenstein (1853–1938) and Countess Julie Potocka (1853–1937).

He married Princess Olga von Liechtenstein (1874–1952), a member of another branch of the Liechtenstein family. The couple belonged to the extended princely dynasty but were not the reigning sovereigns of Liechtenstein.

The photograph was taken in August 1922.

Photographer: Agence Rol
Date: August 1922
Medium: Glass negative
Collection: Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)

Maria Isabella of Parma was an Infanta of Spain and Princess of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla. She was born in Madrid on 31 December 1741, the eldest daughter of Philip, Duke of Parma, and Louise Élisabeth of France, daughter of King Louis XV of France. She was therefore the granddaughter of the French king.

In 1760, aged 18, Maria Isabella married Archduke Joseph of Austria, the future Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. The marriage strengthened the political alliance between the Austrian Habsburgs and the Bourbon dynasty.

The bronze relief was created by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, a celebrated sculptor associated with the Viennese court. It depicts Maria Isabella in profile, wearing an elaborate brocade dress decorated with jewels and lace, together with a fur-lined mantle.

According to the provenance record, the relief was presented by Field Marshal Joseph Wenzel, Prince of Liechtenstein, for the hall later known as the “Kaiser Josephs-Halle” in the Imperial Arsenal. It was subsequently transferred to the Upper Belvedere in Vienna in 1856, later passed to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in 1891, and returned to the Belvedere in 1922.

Artist: Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
Date: 1760–1763
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: 122 × 95 × 8 cm
Collection: Austrian Gallery Belvedere, Vienna

Source:Nationaal Archief

Source: Portuguese Centre for Photography

Source:Nationaal Archief

Source: National Archives of the Netherlands