Relief, wax, of the Kurfürstlich Fräulein, Sophia Eleonore of Saxony, by Daniel Kellerthaler, German (Dresden), 1611

The two year old Kurfürstlich Fräulein, Sophia Eleonore of Saxony, is represented as part of an indoor scene, standing beside a table covered with tablecloth on which is a birdcage and a bird perched on the edge of a plate filled with fruit. The girl has her right hand stretched out to the plate. A vase with flowers is also on the table. On the right hand side of the composition is a dog.

The little girl portrayed here aged two is Sophia Eleonore (1609-1671), eldest daughter of Johann Georg I of Saxony (1585-1656). Sophia Eleonore was born into the highest level of Saxon nobility. Her father was Albertine Elector of Saxony, one of seven rulers permitted to elect the Emperor of a confederation of the Holy Roman Empire. This portrait was executed when she was just two years old. Later in life, she would become Landgravine of Hesse-Darmstadt when she married Georg II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, in 1627.

Nothing is known of the early owners of the plaque, although as Daniel Kellerthaler (whose monogram appears beneath the date) was court goldsmith, it was probably commissioned by a member of Sophia's family, perhaps as a gift or as part of a series of commemorative wax portraits intended for the Elector's collection of treasures and curiosities. No other image of her in wax is known, but a medal made two years before her marriage in 1625 survives.

This charming portrait depicts the two year old Sophia Eleonore of Saxony, eldest child of John George I, Elector of Saxony. She was born in Dresden in 1609. This wax relief is marked with the monogram of the court goldsmith, seal engraver and medallist Daniel Kellerthaler (1574-1648). This is an unusual example of his work, as he is mainly known for portrait medals, usually oval in format. These medals were, of course, cast from wax models, so his activity as a wax modeller is firmly established. This portrait probably formed part of a series, and would either have been intended as a gift, or as a dynastic embellishment to the collection of portraits of the Elector himself.

A.42-1978