Portrait of Queen Anne
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.Executed in London four years after the death of Queen Anne of Great Britain and Ireland, this early micrographic portrait shows the queen in all her finery, surrounded by flowing lines of text from the first three chapters of the Book of Kings. From the laudatory text in the surrounding oval to the inscription, the aforementioned lines of biblical texts that make up the curls of her ample hair, and the floating knots that are barely visible to the naked eye, this drawing demonstrates Buchinger’s utter command of writing and the beauty of his intricate ornament. This style of portraiture became characteristic of Buchinger, who also made portraits of Queen Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach, the wife of King George II, and King Charles II.
Artwork Details
- Title: Portrait of Queen Anne
- Artist: Matthias Buchinger (German, Ansbach 1674–1739)
- Date: 1718
- Medium: Pen and ink on vellum
- Dimensions: Framed: 7 1/2 × 8 3/4 in. (19.1 × 22.2 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Collection of Ricky Jay
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints