Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, later Empress of Austria, was the daughter of Maximillian I Joseph of Bavaria. She had been born in Mannheim, and was married twice in her life. Her first marriage was to William, Crown Prince of Wurttemburg (1816-1864), who she divorced in 1814. Two years later, she would marry Francis II and I of Austria (1768-1835), the last Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (Franz II) and the first Emperor of Austria (Francis I).

Throughout her life, Carolina Augusta had been a philanthropist, and she played a key role in the founding of the Salzburg Museum. Her attitudes were not dissimilar to those of her brother, Ludwig I, King of Bavaria (1786-1868), who opened many of the well-known museums in Munich today. Therefore, though the present miniature may be a copy of a full-scale portrait by Franz Schrotzberg (1811-1889), it reflects the fact that our sitter was involved in and passionate about the arts. It is also impressive in its scaling-down- there is an intensity and richness to the furnishings that Caroline Augusta is surrounded with. Furthermore, Peter’s attention to detail goes down to the miniature painting that Caroline Augusta wears herself, around her wrist.

The artist, Emanuel Thomas Peter, was born in Silesia in 1799. After training in the Academy of Vienna, and becoming a pupil of Mortiz Michael Daffinger (1790-1849), he began a successful career in miniature painting. His patrons, as the present miniature demonstrates, included royalty, such as the Empress Marianne of Austria and Princess Pauline Metternich. but there are other examples of unknown sitters within his miniatures.