The lady depicted in the portrait is Maria Josepha Fuchs, daughter of Carolina Mollard, governess to Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, who, as a demonstration of the great affection she held for her, not only appointed her supreme court mistress but, on her death, wished to bury her in the Chapel of the Capuchin Church, next to the graves of the royal family.
Maria Josefa was the wife of Marshal Leopold von Daun, who was the commander-in-chief of the Austrian army during the Seven Years' War against Prussia (1756-1763). The painting is modelled on the large official portraits, dominated by the exuberance and exquisite quality of the clothing, thanks to which the Swedish-born painter Martin van Meytens had succeeded in establishing himself as the official portraitist of the Habsburg court.
