Portret van Maria Sabina Kress von Kressenstein

About this artwork

height 228 mm x width 144 mm

Art Historical Context

This portrait of Maria Sabina Kress von Kressenstein was created by Georg Fennitzer 1657 and 1722. Rendered on paper and measuring just 228 by 144 millimeters, the work is a compact example of portraiture from the period. Its modest size suggests it may have been intended for private viewing or inclusion in a personal collection, allowing the likeness of its subject to be preserved and shared within a close circle. The medium of paper was commonly used for prints and drawings at the time, offering artists a versatile surface for detailed work while making the final piece more accessible than paintings on canvas or panel. Fennitzer’s portrait captures the formal attire and composed expression typical of such commissions, reflecting the social importance placed on recording the appearance of individuals from prominent families like the Kress von Kressenstein lineage. Beyond its visual record, the artwork offers modern viewers a tangible connection to European aristocratic life in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Small-scale paper portraits like this one often circulated as tokens of status and memory, bridging personal identity with broader cultural traditions of remembrance.