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GERMAN PAINTER, circle of Johann Heinrich Tischbein, about 1752–1755

PORTRAIT OF WILHELMINE OF HESSE-KASSEL, PRINCESS OF PRUSSIA, AS DIANA

GERMAN PAINTER, circle of Johann Heinrich Tischbein, about 1752–1755
PORTRAIT OF WILHELMINE OF HESSE-KASSEL, PRINCESS OF PRUSSIA, AS DIANA

Oil on canvas, signed «W.» (?) on dog collar
39 × 46 cm / 15.4 × 18.1 in, with frame 54 × 61 cm / 21.3 × 24 in

PROVENANCE
France, private collection

GERMAN PAINTER, circle of Johann Heinrich Tischbein, about 1752–1755
PORTRAIT OF WILHELMINE OF HESSE-KASSEL, PRINCESS OF PRUSSIA, AS DIANA

Oil on canvas, signed «W. v. B.» on dog collar
39 × 46 cm / 15.4 × 18.1 in, with frame 54 × 61 cm / 21.3 × 24 in

PROVENANCE
France, private collection

This elegant portrait depicts Wilhelmine of Hesse-Kassel (1726–1808), shortly after her marriage in 1752 to Prince Henry of Prussia, the younger brother of Frederick the Great. Painted between 1752 and 1755, and closely related in style and spirit to the works of Johann Heinrich Tischbein—notably his portrait of Wilhelmine now in Schloss Wilhelmsthal—the painting belongs to the refined tradition of mid-18th-century German court portraiture.

The sitter is portrayed in the guise of Diana, goddess of the hunt, a classical figure often associated with chastity, sovereignty, and strength. This allegorical approach highlights not only the sitter’s status but also her cultivated self-image: poised, commanding, and embedded in the symbolic language of nobility and virtue. The richly embroidered costume, the presence of hunting dogs, and the young Black page in livery all emphasize the ceremonial and cosmopolitan aesthetic of princely courts.

The attribution to a painter of the Tischbein circle is supported by the treatment of textures, the clarity of drawing, and the compositional harmony—hallmarks of Tischbein’s early style. The delicate modelling of the face, the shimmering fabrics, and the subtle play of light recall the painterly vocabulary of Kassel and its milieu.

Born into the House of Hesse, Wilhelmine was admired in her time for both her beauty and intelligence. Though her marriage remained without issue and was marked by personal distance, she maintained a dignified presence at the Prussian court and continued to live in Berlin after her separation. Described late in life as striking, spirited, and intellectually curious, she left a lasting impression on the observers of her time.

This portrait offers not only a glimpse into the iconography of aristocratic femininity but also a rare view of a complex and independent woman shaped by the cultural currents of the Enlightenment and the ceremonial world of Frederickian Prussia.

Base: Canvas

Epoque: XVIII century

Genre: Allegory

Genre: History painting

Genre: Portrait

School: German

School: Austrian

School: French

Technic: Oil