Franz Xaver Winterhalter: And the Courts of Europe, 1830-70

by Richard Ormond, Carol Blackett-Ord

Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1803-73) was the outstanding court portraitist of mid-19th-century Europe. For Queen Victoria alone he painted more than 120 works. This lavish book is the first comprehensive survey of Winterhalter's work, with 246 illustrations, including 91 full-page colorplates.

240 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Christina ~ Brunette Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is indeed a catalogue worth its name.
I've been desperately looking for something about Winterhalter for a very long time and this finally fits the bill to my heart's content. The pictures are great, in colour and full page size (almost all of them) and even the critical writing is precise, thorough and professional.
Very few portrait painters have reached the skills and notoriety Winterhalter did (Titian, Van Dyck, Lely, David, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Tissot, Sargent, Boldini and few others), a fame that, together with success, also brought him a particular closeness with the highest ranks of the society of his time, of which he's been able to give us his personal and powerful view.
I know this book it's been out of print for years, but I suggest you to give it a look if you can find it at your local library. Believe me, it's worth your time.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully documented and written. Shines a new light on each court covered. Especially loved France's Second Empire with Napoleon III and Eugenie.