André

Portrait of Napoleon II, King of Rome, Duke of Reichstadt

Watercolor and gouache

19th century

Diam. 2 in., framed to approx. 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. 

Contemporary or near-contemporary wood frame

A handsome portrait of Napoleon II (1811-1832), after the Portrait of Napoleon Franz, the Duke of Reichstadt (before 1832) by Moritz Michael Daffinger (1790-1849). He is most likely wearing the Order of the Iron Crown's breast star, corroborating his status as the King of Rome. 

Napoleon II, the son of Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie Louise, had been the Prince Imperial of France and King of Rome since his birth. In 1815, when he was just four years old, he was also the disputed Emperor of France for two days following his father's loss at the Battle of Waterloo. Afterwards, Napoleon II and his mother, the daughter of Austrian Emperor Francis I, moved to Vienna, where he went by the nickname "Franz" and became the Duke of Reichstadt for the rest of his adult life. 

While in Austria, he was made a cadet in the Austrian Army where his parentage was used for political purposes by the Austrian nobles to gain favor with France. By 1831, Napoleon II gained control of a battalion, but he never got the chance to lead it. The following year, he contracted pneumonia and eventually died from tuberculosis after remaining bedridden for months. 

[Art, Fine Art, Portrait Miniature, Paintings, 19th Century, French Revolution, France, Napoleon] 

Not examined out of frame