(Paris 1683–1757 Berlin)
Portrait study of Queen Elisabeth Christine of Prussia, Princess of Braunschweig-Bevern, consort of King Frederick II, oil on canvas, 17 x 13.5 cm, in an original carved and gilded frame,

We are grateful to Prof Helmut Börsch-Supan for confirming the authenticity of this painting (verbal communication of June 2010). This charming painting is an important new discovery in the oeuvre of the Frederician court painter, Pesne. It is a preparatory study for a state portrait of the young Queen, possibly for the painting today at Schloss Charlottenburg, and it would thus be datable to 1740. Frederick I, the first Prussian king, appointed Pesne as his court painter in 1711. Due to his portraits of the royal family he achieved such recognition that his delicate, elegant painting has almost become a symbol of the Frederician Rococo. As is the case in this painting, the charm of his art lies in the combination of late Baroque representation and the gracious, empathetic Rococo conception of the human figure. Queen Elisabeth Christine did not have an easy life as the wife of Frederick II. After his accession to the throne, the King assigned Schloss Schönhausen to her as a residence. When he saw her again for the first time five years later, the King remarked, “Madame has become more corpulent...”.