Oil on copper.
In a festive atmosphere, a gallant, courtly company amuses herself on the terrace of a magnificent palace to music, dance and conversation over a lavish feast. On large-format murals in the background of the colorful scenery, mythological depictions of the hunting goddess Diana and the sun god Apollo reflect the demanding lifestyle of the characters and tell as allegories the dream of eternal beauty and youth, of seduction and love, but also of the burden of social expectations and moral demands.
In their brilliant colors and the excellent quality of the painting, these two counterparts are typical examples of baroque art in Austria. Alongside Johann Georg Platzer (1704-1761), Janneck is rightly considered the most important artist at the Vienna Academy. In his characteristic combination of Dutch and French ideals, he succeeded in excellent implementation of the unique, baroque attitude towards life of the noble society in the 18th century. The pair of paintings was exhibited in the Residenzgalerie Salzburg in 1996 and published in the exhibition catalog (cat. no. 4 and 5).
Height 40 cm, width 52 cm.
Juffinger, “Reich mir die Hand, mein Leben. Einladung zu einem barocken Fest“ with pictures by Johann Georg Platzer and Franz Christoph Janneck, Salzburg 1996, p. 100-104.
Pucher, Franz Christoph Janneck 1703-1761, dissertation, Graz 1996, p. 196-197, cat. no. 109 and 110.
