Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu

A carved ivory miniature bust of Emperor Francis I of Austria, with stiff collar and cravat, wearing the neck badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece and two breast stars, (lacking base/socle), length 6.8cm. £60-80

Francis II (1768-1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, and founded the Austrian Empire, becoming Francis I, the first Emperor of Austria, between 1804-1835. For the two years that these two roles overlapped, Francis was history’s only named Doppelkaiser (double emperor) and styled himself ‘By the Grace of God elected Roman Emperor, ever Augustus, hereditary Emperor of Austria’. He was also Apostolic King of Hungary and Bohemia as Francis I and served as the first president of the German Confederation following its establishment in 1815.

For a similar depiction see the portrait by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793-1865).