The Equestrian Portrait of Leopold de' Medici as Child by Justus Sustermans from the collection of Konopiště Castle is part of a large exhibition dedicated to horses and equestrianism at the Palace of Versailles in France. This event is part of the accompanying programme of the Summer Olympics, during which Versailles will be hosting equestrian disciplines. The painting loaned by the National Heritage Institute from the premises of Konopiště Castle is also part of the exhibition Cheval en majesté - au coeur d'une civilisation. The painting will be presented to the public in a place of honour in the Hall of Mirrors from 2 July 2 to 3 November; the rest of the exhibition will be located in other areas of the pallace.
The oil painting Equestrian Portrait of Leopold de' Medici as Child by Justus Sustermans is dated ca 1624-1625; its dimensions are 258 x 246 cm and it comes from the collection of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. It depicts Prince Leopold de' Medici (1617–1675) as a boy aged 7–8 in ceremonial dress seated on a horse. The prince is wearing a Polish aristrocacy costume, a white cloak and doublet embroidered and woven with gold and coloured silk, a headdress decorated with a red and white plume (probably in Polish national colours), a saber with a scabbard inlaid with silver at his side, and a sash at the waist with gold lace. The depiction of an extraordinary horse specimen with very long ceremonial mane and luxurious gear is an interesting feature of this portrait.
Leopoldo was the son of Duke Cosimo II de' Medici and Archduchess Marie Maddalena of Austria. He became a clergyman and was elected cardinal in 1667. After their father's death, his older brother Ferdinand became the Grand Duke of Tuscany.
The author of the painting and the child in the portrat were identified in 2012 thanks to the work of Italian art historian Gianluca Tormen, who specialises in the provenance of Este collections, and comparisons with other child portraits of Leopold in Medici collections in Florence's Galleria degli Uffizi.
The painting was previously believed to be a portrait of Polish Prince Jan II Casimir Vasa.
Justus Sustermans /Giusto Suttermans (1597–1681) was a prominent Flemish painter originally from Antwerp. In Italy, he was valued as one of the most distinguished portrait painters of his time. He worked in Florence from 1619, where he also painted portraits of members of the Medici ducal family and was appointed court painter.
The painting Equestrian Portrait of Leopold de' Medici as Child is part of the Konopiště Castle collection. It is exhibited in the representative halls in the south wing in the Tirpitz Bedroom.
The collection of art objects in Konopiště Castle is one of the most valuable in the Czech Republic. Franz Ferdinand of Austria (1863–1914) stored his extensive collections here, some of which he acquired from an inheritance from Francis V, Duke of Modena, the last of the related Habsburg-Lorraine branch of the d´Este family, and some of which he collected on his own. The Archduke bought Konopiště Castle with the estate in 1887. He had it rebuilt in the style of the time and turned the surrounding area into a landscape park. He established the Rose Garden with greenhouses in the former Baroque garden. This appearance of the castle along with the interior furnishing was preserved to this day. The interiors of the castle are among the best-preserved authentic spaces under the National Heritage Institute.
Konopiště Castle is one of the main objects in this year's project of the National Heritage Institute 'Po stopách šlechtických rodů' (In the Footsteps of Noble Houses), which shows the estates and lives of the Habsburgs in the Czech lands in the 18th-20th centuries. Konopiště Castle will hold extraordinary evening tours dedicated to the most important members of the Habsburg family who visited or owned Konopiště. Visitors will get to see wonderful historical items including personal belongings, curiosities of various period styles, and chambers that are not normally accessible. Konopiště Castle will also become the main centre of this year's Hradozámecká noc on 24 August.
Exhibition in the Pallace of Versailles
The Versailles grounds will be the venue for equestrian disciplines during the 2024 Summer Olympics. The exhibition Cheval en majesté au cœur d'une civilisation will be held in the pallace from 2 July 3 November. 300 works of art will present equestrianism and the use of horses in the 16th-20th centuries. The first exhibition dedicated to horses of its kind will be divided into 13 sections and connect the less familiar spaces of the pallace, exceptionally including the famous Hall of Mirrors, where the painting loaned by the National Heritage Institute, Konopiště Castle will be exhibited.
