Portret van Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Beieren, keizerin van Oostenrijk 1824 - 1859

Anton Bogner created this portrait of Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Beieren, Empress of Austria, using an engraving technique. This was a time when royal portraiture served to reinforce the power and image of the monarchy, yet Elisabeth, known as Sisi, was no ordinary royal. Her life was marked by a tension between the rigid expectations of her role and her own desire for personal freedom. Sisi was celebrated for her beauty, but she also felt constrained by the constant scrutiny and the limited agency afforded to women of her status. She once said "I want movement. The air should be free." This engraving captures her in a moment of poised elegance, but it also hints at the complexities beneath the surface. Consider the emotional weight of representing a woman who, despite her privileged position, yearned for autonomy and struggled against the confines of her identity. The image serves not only as a historical record, but also as a reflection on the personal struggles within a life of public duty.