(Heilbronn 1751–1818 Vienna)
Portrait of Marzio Mastrilli, Marquis (later Duke) di Gallo (1753–1833) wearing the insignia of the Neapolitan Order of Saint Januarius,
oil on canvas, 44 x 31 cm, framed

Provenance:
Dorotheum auction, Vienna, 27 October 1947, lot 44;
private collection, Vienna

Literature:
R. Keil, Heinrich Friedrich Füger 1751–1818, Vienna 2009, p. 265, WVZ-no. WV 212

The present painting is a study for the large-format portrait of the Marquis di Gallo, executed in 1790, now preserved at the Museo Nazionale di San Martino, Naples (cf. R. Keil, op. cit., p. 264, WVZ no. WV 211). Keil thus writes about the sitter: “Marzio Mastrilli was Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in Vienna (1790–1798) and Knight of the Order of Saint Januarius. In 1790 he was responsible for the diplomatic preparation of the marriage between the already widowed heir to the throne, Archduke Franz (the future Franz II) with his cousin, Princess Maria Theresia of the Two Sicilies. Count Mastrilli was also involved in the negotiations for the 1797 Peace Treaty of Campo Formio between France and Austria as ‘ambassadeur extraordinaire’ of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies...”. Füger depicted the Marquis di Gallo against the background of the statues of Hymenaeus and of the muse Clio, thus referring to his merits in connection with the imperial wedding. Marzio Mastrilli was a diplomat and politician. After the conclusion of the Viennese mandate, he became Neapolitan Foreign and Marine Minister as well as Viceroy of Sicily. Between 1803 and 1806 he was ambassador in Paris. In 1806 he returned to Naples, were he was appointed Foreign Minister (1806–1808) under Joseph Bonaparte and Prime Minister (1808- 1815) under Joachim Murat, who elevated him to the rank of duke in 1813. Despite an initial fall from grace during the Borbonic restoration, he was once more nominated Foreign Minister by Ferdinand I in 1820. In 1821 Mastrilli withdrew to private life after the conclusion of the Congress of Ljubljana.