Portrait of Friedrich Christian, Prince of Saxony

This splendid portrait captures the pink-cheeked optimism of a youthful prince whose future seems filled with promise. The precocious Mengs was only twenty-three years old when he painted this likeness of Friedrich Christian (1722-1763), heir to the throne at the Saxon court in Dresden. Modeled after images of the prince's royal ancestors, the painting asserts Friedrich Christian's dynastic legitimacy while also conveying a sense of his lively mind and kindly temperament. It conceals his disability (likely cerebral palsy), which in reality would have prevented him from adopting the confident stance seen here. Friedrich Christian assumed the throne in 1763 but died of smallpox only a few months into his reign.