5641 - Unterberger, Ignaz

Unterberger, Ignaz Allegory of Imperial Prince Kaunitz. Brown-toned etching. 56.7 x 37 cm. 1790. Nagler 4, Steffi Roettgen, “The Influence of Roman Classicism on the Alpine Region,” in: Exhibition catalog *Autumn of the Baroque. Studies on Stylistic Change: The Keller Family of Painters (1740–1904)*, Munich/Berlin 1998, pp. 215–248, ill. p. 241. Signed. Wenzel Anton Dominik Count Kaunitz (1711–1794, Vienna) was one of the central figures in 18th-century Austrian politics and one of the closest advisors to Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II. Minister of Foreign Affairs since 1735, Kaunitz soon rose to the positions of State Chancellor and Imperial Court Councilor, thereby holding important statesmanlike offices. An art lover and collector himself, Kaunitz served as patron of the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts from 1772 onward and supported artists such as the South Tyrolean painter and printmaker Ignaz Unterberger, who also created this dedication page in his honor in 1790. Unterberger came from a family of artists and was trained, among others, by his brother Christoph in Rome. In 1776, he moved to Vienna and became a member of the Academy there. In 1795, he was appointed Imperial Court Painter. The artist left behind a relatively small but high-quality body of print work. An excellent, velvety print with a narrow margin around the plate edge. Minor signs of age and wear; otherwise, very well preserved. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.