Ludwig van Beethoven - Elfenbeinminiatur von Christian Horneman, Wien, 1802

The painter Christian Horneman from Copenhagen visited Vienna in the beginning of the 19th century. He created this impressive miniature with Ludwig van Beethoven's image during this visit.

Compared to later depictions, the elegance of Beethoven's physical appearance is striking. The composer is wearing the blue tailcoat and the white neckerchief, which, in the beginning of the 19th century, had been fashionable to wear at social events. His short hair style, created after the model of antique standards, also corresponds to the fashion of this time.

Beethoven himself must have liked this portrait since, one year after it had been created, he sent the miniature to his school day friend from Bonn, Stephan von Breuning, as a gift of reconciliation. It can be assumed that this is a good painting of Beethoven's physiognomy and expression, and that the painter has captured a lot of Beethoven's character while he was young and expressed it very well through this vivid expression and the concentrated look.(S.B.)