Lot 2559 D α

Albert Gräfle was inspired to paint portraits by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, with whom he began working in Paris in 1839. Like Winterhalter, Gräfle advanced to become a sought-after portraitist of numerous ruling houses, painting portraits of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, King Ludwig II of Bavaria, the Prussian Crown Prince and Crown Princess as well as Queen Victoria and other members of the English royal family, among others. Our portrait of a hitherto unidentified boy was probably made in Munich, where Gräfle was resident from 1852. During this time he was also painter to the court of Baden, meaning that the portrait could also have been created in this courtly context.