The Sobieskis and Stuarts. Portrait of Clementina Sobieska, Johann Martin Bernigeroth, 1725–1750

engraved by Johann Martin Bernigeroth
copperplate on paper, 1725–1750
National Museum in Warsaw

Clementina Sobieska also became a subject of works by German engravers. The author of this small copperplate engraving, enhanced with roulette effects, produced in the second quarter of the 18th century, was probably Johann Martin Bernigeroth (1713–1767), a graphic artist from Leipzig who specialised in portraits, awarded toward the end of his life with the title of court engraver to the Elector of Saxony. The inscription in German describes Clementina as “the wife of the Pretender to the British throne.” In the portrait, Clementina in clothed in an embroidered, jewel-encrusted dress with a deep neckline and an ermine cloak symbolising her royal dignity. It is a reversed and simplified version of an engraving by Charles Dupuis (1685–1742), created in Paris no earlier than 1720 and based on a painting by Roman artist Francesco Trevisani (1656–1746).