Martin van Meytens (24 June 1695 – 23 March 1770) was a Swedish-

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n painter who painted members of the Royal Court of Austria such as

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

Maria Theresa of Austria Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position in her own right. She was the sovereig ...

Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor Francis I (Francis Stephen; ; ; ; 8 December 1708 – 18 August 1765) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1745 to 1765, List of rulers of Austria#Dukes and archdukes of Austria under the House of Habsburg, Archduke of Austria from 1740 to 1765, List of ...

, the Emperor's family and members of the local aristocracy. His painting style inspired many other painters to paint in a similar format.

Life and career

Wedding Supper - Martin van Meytens - Google Cultural Institute

Martin van Meytens was born and baptised in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden, son of the painter Martin Meytens the Elder, who had moved around 1677 from

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

to Sweden. He went early in his career on an extended study trip. He visited London, Paris and Vienna, then he lived and worked for a long time in Italy (Rome, Turin). At the beginning he painted little enamel

miniature portrait A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting from Renaissance art, usually executed in gouache, Watercolor painting, watercolor, or Vitreous enamel, enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illumin ...

s, and he changed to

oil painting Oil painting is a painting method involving the procedure of painting with pigments combined with a drying oil as the Binder (material), binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on canvas, wood panel, or oil on coppe ...

only around 1730, having settled in Vienna. Here he became very popular as a

portrait painter Portrait painting is a Hierarchy of genres, genre in painting, where the intent is to represent a specific human subject. The term 'portrait painting' can also describe the actual painted portrait. Portraitists may create their work by commissio ...

in the circles of the court and the aristocracy. In 1732 he became a court painter, and in 1759 the director of the Viennese Academy of

Fine Art In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (February 6, 1736 – August 19, 1783) was a German-Austrian sculptor most famous for his "character heads", a collection of busts with faces contorted in extreme facial expressions. Early years Born February 6, 173 ...

was his

protégé Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

Aristocratic Baroque

Meytens was paid by

for opulent commissions. For example, in 1743 Maria Theresa waged war against her male counterparts in Europe, who entered a coalition. So Meytens had to paint, what was in the judgement of Alfred von Arneth an anachronistic "art of war" tournament motif, depicting Maria Theresa as warrior. This was only one instance of Meytens painting aristocratic Baroque culture in expensive splendidness. The ''Wedding Supper '' depicts the wedding of Princess Isabella of Parma and

Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I, ...

, 5 October 1760, at

Hofburg Palace The Hofburg () is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. Located in the center of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century by Ottokar II of Bohemia and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the im ...

's ''Redoutensaele'' (Redoute Hall). The moment depicted is when the dessert is served, in the middle of the table is a garden made by sugar crust. Meytens has been credited with painting the European elite true to life. His most noticeable pupil was Joseph Hickel.

Works

* ca. 1731; Kneeling

Nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

, Recto, (Nationalmuseum – Stockholm) * 1741;

Kaiser Kaiser ( ; ) is the title historically used by German and Austrian emperors. In German, the title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (). In English, the word ''kaiser'' is mainly applied to the emperors ...

Franz I * 1744; Maria Theresia, ( Ghent Town Hall) * 1745–1750; Familie der Grafen Pálffy * 1750;

Archduke Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within ...

Maximilian, (The Winnipeg Art Gallery) * 1752–1753; Fam. Grill, (

Museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

) * 1750–1755; Maria Theresia als Herrscherin, (Schönbrunn Palace) * 1754; Ksl. Familie, (Schönbrunn Palace); * 1759; Maria Theresia, (Academy of

Selected works

File:Meister der Erzherzoginnen-Porträt - Erzherzogin Maria Amalia.jpg, ''Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria (later

Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma Maria Amalia (Maria Amalia Josepha Johanna Antonia; 26 February 1746 – 18 June 1804) was List of Parmese consorts, duchess of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla by marriage to Ferdinand I, Duke of Parma. She was born an Archduke, archduchess of ...

)'' File:Maria Antoniette of Austria.jpg, ''Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria'', 1767 (later

, Queen of France) File:Johanna Gabriele of Habsburg Lorraine1 copy.jpg, '' Archduchess Maria Johanna Gabriela of Austria'' File:Maria Josepha of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empress by Martin van Meytens.jpg, ''

Maria Josepha of Bavaria Maria Josepha of Bavaria (20 March 173928 May 1767) was Holy Roman Empress, Queen of the Romans, List of Austrian consorts, Archduchess of Austria, and Grand Duchess of Tuscany, among other titles, by her marriage to Joseph II, Holy Roman Empero ...

'', Holy Roman Empress File:Martin van Meytens (workshop) Franz Stephan.jpg, ''Portrait of Emperor Francis I'' (workshop) File:Joseph de France and his Family (Martin van Meytens d.y.) - Nationalmuseum - 19246.tif, ''Joseph de France and his Family'' File:Family Group (Martin van Meytens d.y.) - Nationalmuseum - 20193.tif, ''Sackska family painting'' File:Carl Gustaf Tessin, Ulla Sparre af Sundby samt Brita Stina Sparre (Martin van Meytens d.y.) - Nationalmuseum - 40210.tif, ''Carl Gustaf Tessin, Ulla Sparre of Sundby and Brita Stina Sparre''

References

Other sources

Biography
– Austria Forum
Biography
–

Web Gallery of Art The Web Gallery of Art (WGA) is a virtual art gallery website. It displays historic European visual art, mainly from the Baroque, Gothic art, Gothic and Renaissance periods, available for educational and personal use. In February 2025, the website ...

Biography and more paintings
– ArtExperts.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meytens, Martin van 1695 births 1770 deaths 18th-century Austrian painters 18th-century Austrian male artists Austrian male painters 18th-century Swedish painters 18th-century Swedish male artists Swedish male painters Painters from Stockholm Austrian people of Dutch descent Austrian people of Flemish descent Swedish people of Dutch descent Swedish emigrants Immigrants to the Holy Roman Empire