The biscuit bust on a glazed and gilded porcelain base depicts a very young Franz Joseph, not yet 20 years old.
Such objects, much cheaper than marble portraits, were produced in large quantities by the state manufactory with a clear propagandistic intent, i.e. to enable all subjects to have an image of the sovereign in their homes.
The Viennese manufactory, the second in Europe to produce hard-paste porcelain objects, was founded in 1717 by Claudius du Paquier, who had succeeded in mastering the precious recipe which until then had only been in the possession of the Meissen factory. Production began around 1719-1720 under the direction of du Paquier, who in 1744 sold the factory to the state, under whose control it remained until its closure in 1864.
Il termine biscuit (biscotto) è utilizzato per indicare il primo stadio di cottura della porcellana, precedente la successiva smaltatura che determina la patina bianca e lucida propria della porcellana. La superficie opaca tipica del biscuit rendeva questo materiale particolarmente adatto alla produzione di statuine e ritratti.
