Portrait of Prince Ferenc Rákóczi II Ádám Mányoki

Ádám Mányoki’s portrait of Prince Ferenc Rákóczi II is an emblematic work of Hungarian Baroque portraiture and also an outstanding piece in the oeuvre of the master. Mányoki, who worked mostly abroad, in Berlin, Warsaw and Dresden was in the service of Rákóczi from 1707 to 1712. The portrait on exhibit here was made in 1712 in Gdańsk. Forced to emigrate after the failure of his war for independence, Rákóczi is shown in this majestic and at the same time intimate portrait in Hungarian style garment with a fur hat, without the emblems referring to his status as ruler. He is wearing his badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which he only received in 1709. A strong ray of light projects from his dark surroundings onto his face, revealing the painter’s considerable talent and sensitivity in depicting faces. The painting was presumably made for Augustus the Strong, the King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, and was sent to Dresden as a gift from Rákóczi. It came into the possession of a Hungarian museum as a gift from the art collector Marcell Nemes in 1925.