GERMAN PAINTER, circle of Johann Heinrich Tischbein, circa 1752–1755
PORTRAIT OF WILHELMINE OF HESSE-KASSEL, PRINCESS OF PRUSSIA, AS DIANA
Oil on canvas, signed "W." on the dog's collar
39 × 46 cm / 15.4 × 18.1 in, framed 54 × 61 cm / 21.3 × 24 in
PROVENANCE
France, private collection
This refined portrait depicts Wilhelmine of Hesse-Kassel (1726–1808) shortly after her marriage in 1752 to Prince Henry of Prussia, younger brother of Frederick the Great. Executed between 1752 and 1755, the painting shows clear affinities with the style of Johann Heinrich Tischbein—especially with the famous portrait of Wilhelmine now kept at Schloss Wilhelmsthal—and fully belongs to the tradition of German court portraiture of the mid-18th century.
The princess is depicted as Diana, goddess of the hunt, a classical figure often associated with chastity, strength, and autonomy. This allegorical choice not only enhances the protagonist's rank but highlights her cultural identity and how she wished to be perceived: proud, cultured, and immersed in the symbolic language of aristocracy and virtue. The sumptuous embroidered dress, the presence of the greyhounds, and the black page in livery contribute to constructing a ceremonial and cosmopolitan image, typical of princely courts.
The attribution to a painter from the circle of Tischbein is supported by the quality of the material rendering, the clarity of the drawing, and the compositional harmony—all elements that characterise the artist's early work. The delicately modelled face, the shimmering fabrics, and the skillful management of light evoke the pictorial elegance of the Kassel school.
Born into the House of Hesse, Wilhelmine was known for her beauty and intelligence. Although her marriage to Prince Henry produced no heirs and was marked by personal distance, she maintained a prominent role at the Prussian court, where she continued to reside even after their separation. Described in her later years as a woman of lively spirit, great presence, and brilliant conversation, she left a strong impression on her contemporaries.
This portrait offers not only a glimpse into the iconography of aristocratic femininity but also a rare testimony of an independent and complex figure, shaped by the cultural currents of the Enlightenment and the lavish ceremonial of Frederick the Great's Prussia.