In Portrait of Ferdinand I, Duke of Parma, how is the History discussed?
The portrait is related to the British tradition of courtly portraiture, which Zoffany, originally from Frankfurt, had approached after his move to England in 1760.
Zoffany came to Parma in the Spring of 1778 after a profitable stay in Florence in which he had come into contact, through rich English residents, with the court of the Habsburg-Lorraine. It was perhaps Maria Luisa, the Grand Duchess of Tuscany, who invited the painter to come to Parma, where lived her sister Maria Amalia, wife of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma. He would be commissioned to create two major commissions in Parma, including the current portrait.
Florence Frankfurt Habsburg-Lorraine Ferdinand, Duke of Parma Maria Amalia Parma Maria Luisa