Frédéric Reclam Lot n° 89

Frédéric Reclam Portrait of Frederick the Great (1712 - 1786) Portrait of Frederick William II (1726 - 1802) Oil on canvas. Each 100 x 74 cm. Framed in gilt wooden frames (107 x 84.5 cm). Provenance South German private collection. Frederick the Great and his nephew and successor Frederick William II are depicted in half-length portraits in a painted oval frame in this pair of paintings. The representative portraits show Frederick in his blue uniform with the Prussian Order of the Eagle, a book and the crown as attributes. His nephew also wears the star and insignia of the Order of the Eagle as well as a red ermine-lined cloak, a corner of which can be seen at the bottom right. The traditional attribution to the painter Frédéric Reclam cannot be proven, but is probable. Reclam was a pupil of the court painter Antoine Pesne. After spending time in Paris and Rome, he finally settled in Berlin in 1762, where he painted several portraits of members of the court. He worked for the king's brother, Prince Heinrich, at Rheinsberg Palace, as well as for Prince Ferdinand. Together with Daniel Chodowiecki, Reclam became a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts in 1764.