Portret van Maximiliaan III Jozef van Beieren 1745 - 1797

This is Joseph Anton Zimmermann’s portrait of Maximiliaan III Jozef van Beieren. In its time, portraits of rulers were more than just personal likenesses; they were carefully constructed statements of power, legitimacy, and dynastic continuity. Maximiliaan's regal attire and the opulent surroundings speak to his status as a powerful leader, yet the portrait also tells a story of inherited privilege. This aristocratic world was built upon a rigid social hierarchy, with the lives of ordinary people largely unacknowledged. It makes you wonder about the complex negotiations between the artist, the sitter, and the society that consumed these images. What did it mean to be seen, and who had the power to control that gaze? While celebrating individual rulers, Zimmermann’s portrait offers a lens through which we can examine the broader structures of power and representation.