(Haarlem before 1550–1607 Turin)
Portrait of Maria Apollonia, Princess of Savoy (1594–1656)
inscribed and dated upper right: Maria SAB. Princ. AET. XIII MDCVII,
oil on canvas, 96 x 76 cm, framed

Saleroom Notice:
The painting is illustrated with the wrong frame in the printed catalogue.

Provenance:
Possibly Franz Joseph Prince von Lobkowicz (1772–1816);
inherited from his mother Gabrielle Princess von Lobkowicz, born Princess of Savoyen-Carignan (1748–1828);
Lobkowicz Collection, Schloss Raudnitz (according to an old inventory label);
Private collection, Switzerland

We are grateful to Arabella Cifani for suggesting the attribution and for her help in cataloguing the present painting (written communication).

Previously unknown and unpublished, this portrait is an interesting addition to the corpus of known works by the Dutch born court painter Caracca. A period inscription identifies the sitter as Princess Maria Apollonia of Savoy, daughter of Duke Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy (1562–1630) and Catalina Micaela of Habsburg (1567–1597), a daughter of King Philip II. of Spain. Her biographer Padre Bernardino Alessio gives a vivid description of Maria Apollonia’s appearance and especially the sumptuousness of her dress and jewelry.According to him, she was ‘ricercata per moglie da gran principi’ and was dressed in ‘pregiatissimi drapi’, with her hair adorned ‘con centigli de diamanti’; her earrings and her collar bore ‘garantiglie di gran valore, a caricarsi il petto con raddoppiate filze di grosse perle, à stringer il fianco con isnodate piastre d’oro ben lavorato e tempestato di gemme’. Caracca also captured these features here.

Maria Appolonia’s father Carlo Emanuele, eager to further legitimize his dynasty, searched for a suitably grand matrimonial match for his daughter, and tried to marry her to, among others, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (1594–1612); the courtship began in 1603, but the premature death of the English prince precluded further negotiations. Even the grandest possible match was refused by Maria Appolonia, who appears to have been an unusually independent character, when Emperor Ferdinand II proposed to her. Maria gradually removed herself from busy court life, and founded a Franciscan Capuchin monastery in Turin in 1627. At the age of 35, she took the vows and became part of the Third Franciscan order. Having founded a refuge for women in 1634 she finally became a nun in 1643, together with her sister. Received with full honors by Pope Innocent X in Rome, she died in 1656 and was buried in the Basilica dei Santi Apostoli. In 1662 her body was transferred - according to her will - to San Francesco in Assisi. To this day she is held in high esteem by the order. She was declared a “Venerable“- the term used for having reached the first grade of the process leading to a possible canonization as a saint.

Maria Appolonia’s ecclesiastical career was far ahead of her when the present portrait was commissioned. She is depicted in all her worldly splendor. Regardless of her young age she is dressed as an adult, following Spanish fashion. The dating of the inscription gives the sitter’s age as 14 years, whereas in 1607 she was in fact only 13 years old- this may be explained by its intended use as an engagement portrait, to be sent to a prospective husband. Stylistically, the present painting fits into a series of portraits of the infant daughters of Carlo Emanuele and Catalina Micaela today in the Uffizi, Florence. The princesses in this series painted between 1604- 05 appear in fact to be dressed in exactly the same Spanish fashion. Apart from this recently rediscovered work, very few portraits of Maria Apollonia exist: the first one is Caracca’s portrait, executed in 1595, today in the Quirinale. Rome, showing her as an infant, the second is her portrait as part of the Uffizi series, and finally the third one shows her in nun’s habit in an engraving by Bonacina which was included in her biography, written by Alessio in 1663. A drawing by Francesco Vanni today at the Louvre may represent her in one of the figures as well. Maria Apollonia’s governess Marianna de Tassis became godmother of Caracca’s eldest son Carlo Giovanni, according to a document published by Cifani in 2006.

According to an old inscription on the back of the canvas, the painting once was in the Lobkovicz collection in Raudnitz Castle. This helps reconstruct a possible early provenance for the work. It may well have passed by descent through the house of Savoy-Carignano, the junior cadet branch of the house of Savoy, which was founded by Maria Apollonia’s brother Prince Tommaso Francesco. It would have entered the Lobkovicz collection, conceivably as part of the dowry, upon the marriage of Tommaso Francesco’s descendant princess Gabriela di Savoia-Carignano to prince Ferdinand Philipp Joseph of Lobkovicz at the end of the 18th century. The couple’s main residence was Raudnitz castle.

The Dutch artist Jan Kraeck, or Giovanni Caracca, was appointed by Carlo Emanuele in Turin in 1568 and remained principal court painter until his death in 1607. He mastered the international court style in portraiture popularized by the court painter of Philip II in Madrid, Antonis Mor. Kraeck’s many portraits of the members of the Savoy family were instrumental in Carlo Emanuele I’s ambitions to advance the fortunes of his dynasty.

Considering the date given in the inscription this may well be Caracca’s last work.

Provenance:
Possibly Franz Joseph Prince von Lobkowicz (1772–1816);
inherited from his mother Gabrielle Princess von Lobkowicz, born Princess of Savoyen-Carignan (1748–1828);
Lobkowicz Collection, Schloss Raudnitz (according to an old inventory label);
Private collection, Switzerland
We are grateful to Arabella Cifani for suggesting the attribution and for her help in cataloguing the present painting (written communication).

Previously unknown and unpublished, this portrait is an interesting addition to the corpus of known works by the Dutch born court painter Caracca. A period inscription identifies the sitter as Princess Maria Apollonia of Savoy, daughter of Duke Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy (1562–1630) and Catalina Micaela of Habsburg (1567–1597), a daughter of King Philip II. of Spain. Her biographer Padre Bernardino Alessio gives a vivid description of Maria Apollonia’s appearance and especially the sumptuousness of her dress and jewelry.According to him, she was ‘ricercata per moglie da gran principi’ and was dressed in ‘pregiatissimi drapi’, with her hair adorned ‘con centigli de diamanti’; her earrings and her collar bore ‘garantiglie di gran valore, a caricarsi il petto con raddoppiate filze di grosse perle, à stringer il fianco con isnodate piastre d’oro ben lavorato e tempestato di gemme’. Caracca also captured these features here.

Maria Appolonia’s father Carlo Emanuele, eager to further legitimize his dynasty, searched for a suitably grand matrimonial match for his daughter, and tried to marry her to, among others, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (1594–1612); the courtship began in 1603, but the premature death of the English prince precluded further negotiations. Even the grandest possible match was refused by Maria Appolonia, who appears to have been an unusually independent character, when Emperor Ferdinand II proposed to her. Maria gradually removed herself from busy court life, and founded a Franciscan Capuchin monastery in Turin in 1627. At the age of 35, she took the vows and became part of the Third Franciscan order. Having founded a refuge for women in 1634 she finally became a nun in 1643, together with her sister. Received with full honors by Pope Innocent X in Rome, she died in 1656 and was buried in the Basilica dei Santi Apostoli. In 1662 her body was transferred - according to her will - to San Francesco in Assisi. To this day she is held in high esteem by the order. She was declared a “Venerable“- the term used for having reached the first grade of the process leading to a possible canonization as a saint.

Maria Appolonia’s ecclesiastical career was I ahead of her when the present portrait was commissioned. She is depicted in all her worldly splendor. Regardless of her young age she is dressed as an adult, following Spanish fashion. The dating of the inscription gives the sitter’s age as 14 years, whereas in 1607 she was in fact only 13 years old- this may be explained by its intended use as an engagement portrait, to be sent to a prospective husband. Stylistically, the present painting fits into a series of portraits of the infant daughters of Carlo Emanuele and Catalina Micaela today in the Uffizi, Florence. The princesses in this series painted between 1604- 05 appear in fact to be dressed in exactly the same Spanish fashion. Apart from this recently rediscovered work, very few portraits of Maria Apollonia exist: the first one is Caracca’s portrait, executed in 1595, today in the Quirinale. Rome, showing her as an infant, the second is her portrait as part of the Uffizi series, and finally the third one shows her in nun’s habit in an engraving by Bonacina which was included in her biography, written by Alessio in 1663. A drawing by Francesco Vanni today at the Louvre may represent her in one of the figures as well. Maria Apollonia’s governess Marianna de Tassis became godmother of Caracca’s eldest son Carlo Giovanni, according to a document published by Cifani in 2006.

According to an old inscription on the back of the canvas, the painting once was in the Lobkovicz collection in Raudnitz Castle. This helps reconstruct a possible early provenance for the work. It may well have passed by descent through the house of Savoy-Carignano, the junior cadet branch of the house of Savoy, which was founded by Maria Apollonia’s brother Prince Tommaso Francesco. It would have entered the Lobkovicz collection, conceivably as part of the dowry, upon the marriage of Tommaso Francesco’s descendant princess Gabriela di Savoia-Carignano to prince Ferdinand Philipp Joseph of Lobkovicz at the end of the 18th century. The couple’s main residence was Raudnitz castle.

The Dutch artist Jan Kraeck, or Giovanni Caracca, was appointed by Carlo Emanuele in Turin in 1568 and remained principal court painter until his death in 1607. He mastered the international court style in portraiture popularized by the court painter of Philip II in Madrid, Antonis Mor. Kraeck’s many portraits of the members of the Savoy family were instrumental in Carlo Emanuele I’s ambitions to advance the fortunes of his dynasty.

Considering the date given in the inscription this may well be Caracca’s last work.