Gods and Foolish Grandeur: Best-dressed club - portraits of knights and masters of the Order of the Golden Fleece

Sunday, September 6, 2026

Best-dressed club - portraits of knights and masters of the Order of the Golden Fleece

Aloys II, Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein, by Friedrich von Amerling, 1845.

The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430. Today, two branches of the order exist: the Spanish, whose current grand master is King Felipe VI of Spain, head of the House of Bourbon-Anjou, and the Austrian, whose grand master is Karl von Habsburg, head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Of course, this post was not inspired by the frequently uninspiring visages of its members of centuries past, but rather because of their dashing attire, the extravagant vestments they often arrayed themselves in when posing for official portraits. For a full accounting of the order's long and illustrious history read the Wikipedia entry.

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, attributed to Johann Gottfried Auerbach, circa 1720s.

Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, by Edmund Pölz, 1893.

Diego Pignatelli d'Aragona Cortès, by Francesco Solimena, circa 1731-1732 or 1747.

Prince Eugen of Savoy, by Jacob van Schuppen, circa 1710-30.

Prince Joseph Wenzel I von Liechtenstein, by Hyacinthe Rigaud, 1740.

Emperor Francis I of Austria, by Joseph Kreutzinger, circa 1806.

Count Ferenc Széchényi, by Johann Nepomuk Ender, 1823.

Don Ferdinando Vincenzo Spinelli, Prince of Tarsia, by Francesco Solimena, circa 1738-41.

King Ferdinand VII of Spain, by Vicente López Portaña, circa 1808-11. (Preliminary sketch.)

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, by Johann Gottfried Auerbach, circa 1730s.

Prince Klemens von Metternich, by Johann Nepomuk Ender, 1836.

Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine, attributed to Johann Philipp von der Schlichteng, circa 1700.

Emperor Francis I of Austria, by Johann Nepomuk Ender, 1836.

Charles Alain de Rohan, prince de Guémené, by Alexander Clarot, 1841 (?).

Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, attributed to Anton von Maron, 1745.

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, by Johann Gottfried Auerbach, circa 1730s.

Emperor Karl I of Austria, by Tom von Dreger, 1916.

King Carlos II of Spain, by Juan Carreño de Miranda, 1676.

Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz-Rietberg, by Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder, 1786. (Preliminary sketch.)

Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz-Rietberg, by Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder, 1786. (Finished work.)

Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, by Eduard Lebiedzki, 1891. (Six images.)

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Stephen O’Donnell is a mid-career fine artist, writer, and singer/performer. His paintings are widely collected, both in this country and abroad. Entirely self-taught, he is perhaps best known for his self-portraits, work which most often exemplifies the portrait historié - in which a recognizable subject is portrayed in period costume or mythological guise, to dramatic or comic effect - as well as his small paintings of animals. His premier collection of short fiction, Half-Light, appeared in July of 2023. His work – both literary and visual – has appeared in the literary magazines/journals Nailed, Menacing Hedge, Buckmxn Journal, and Gertrude. He is married to writer and graphic designer Gigi Little, with whom he sometimes performs. Their book, The Untold Gaze – a collection of Stephen’s paintings paired with short fiction by thirty-three authors – was published in October of 2018. They live in Portland, Oregon.