Wihelm Christoph Reuter

Augusta, Duchess of Salm-Reiffenscheidt-Krautheim

This very delicate portrait by Wilhelm Christoph (also: Friedrich Wilhelm) Reuter seems to have been drawn rather than painted. Grandduchess Augusta of Salm-Reifferscheidt-Krautheim made herself be portrayed on a simple wooden chair in a park which is intimated by two powerful trunks. In her lap she holds a little dog. At her side, on a podest, stands an urn decorated with garlands, bearing the inscription "FIDELITE".The pale rose flowers of the garland and the lady`s equally rosy cheeks pleasantly stand out against the colour palette which mainly restricts itself to blue, brown, green and grey. The white shoulder cloth supports the pale complexion and fits in with the reserved, cold colours. As there are no hints of mourning in the miniature, the urn must not be considered to be an indication of the death of a beloved person, but it is rather part of the love symbolism of the 18th century, which the dog also belongs to. The dog as well as the urn serve to symbolize the value of fidelity, also expressed in the inscription.