Ein Porträt des Grafen Friedrich Christian von Zinzendorf (1697–1756)?

Indizien für eine Identifizierung

Abstract

From the outset, it was clear that this investigation of how the ‘Portrait of a Gentleman’ (no. 34) in the gallery of ancestral portraits at Branitz Castle should be interpreted could not put forward new, reliable proofs from unequivocal sources. However, the following considerations lead to a presentation of this portrait as that of the imperial count Friedrich Christian von Zinzendorf and Pottendorf:

1. Such an identification would place alongside the portrait of Christiane Sophie, a married Countess of Zinzendorf und Pottendorf, that of her husband as a counterpart.

2. Since the portrait of the imperial count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf (c. 1731) and that of the imperial countess Christiane Sophie von Zinzendorf can be attributed with certainty to the artist Balthasar Denner, it is logical to assume that a portrait of a close relative painted by the same artist or one of his associates is a portrait of Friedrich Christian von Zinzendorf.

3. The facial features of the person depicted in the ‘Portrait of a Gentleman’ (no. 34) display similarities with portrayals of other male members of the Zinzendorf family.