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ENGELBRECHT, Martin (1684-1756); [Maria Anna ARCHDUCHESS OF AUSTRIA (1718-1746, portrait of)]Biblio.com

Maria Anna Archiducissa Austriæ Nata Ao. 1718 d. 14 Sept. Caroli Principis Lotharing. Conjux. desponsata Ao. 1744. d. 7. Januari

1745rif. 15093Augsburg: Published by Martin Engelbrecht 1745. Engraving with thick early colour with gold highlights. Printed on laid paper. In excellent condition with the exception of some minor foxing in the margins. Image size: 10 1/8 x 7 1/8 inches. A lovely portrait with stunning early colour of Maria Anna Archduchess of Austria by the celebrated Augsburg engraver Martin Engelbrecht. Martin Engelbrecht was one of the most prolific engravers and printsellers in Augsburg at the close of the 17th century. Along with his brother Christian Martin dominated the print trade producing some of the finest prints of his day. His outstanding portraits and landscape studies are beyond compare and his religious and allegorical engravings display a technical aptitude superior to many of his contemporaries. Martin had great success with his optical prints which were used in perspective boxes. He is best remembered for his equestrian portraits depicting European nobility and his engravings of Queen Elizabeth and Joseph II are numbered amongst his best work. This stunning portrait of Maria Anna is a rare example with vibrant early colour and is a wonderful example of Engelbrecht's superior work. Archduchess Maria Anna Eleonore Wilhelmine Josepha of Austria born into the prestigious House of Habsburg played a significant role in governing the Austrian Netherlands during the reign of her elder sister Empress Maria Theresa. Despite the initial reluctance of her father Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI towards her birth Maria Anna and her sister Maria Theresa were the only children to survive to adulthood. Their upbringing took place within the opulent confines of the Imperial Court in Vienna. Maria Anna's life was marked by pivotal negotiations for a political marriage. One prospective match was with Philip Duke of Parma a marriage intended to mend relations with Spain. However this alliance was disrupted by the Anglo-Spanish War and the Treaty of Seville in 1729. Maria Anna then entered a relationship with Charles Alexander of Lorraine the younger brother of Maria Theresa's husband. The marriage met resistance given her father's desire for a politically advantageous match. Eventually they wed in January 1744 after her father's death and were soon appointed as governors of the Austrian Netherlands. Their rule was cut short as Charles had to leave for war while Maria Anna expecting their first child remained in Brussels. Tragically Maria Anna passed away in December 1744 just months after giving birth to a stillborn daughter. Her legacy endures as a remarkable woman who briefly governed a significant realm in the name of her sister Empress Maria Theresa. Published by Martin Engelbrecht unknown