Der alte Graf mit neuem Image : das Porträt des Palatins Johann (V.) Pálffy als ein potentielles Frühwerk von Franz Anton Palko

Not long ago, a portrait of the palatine Johann Bernard Stephan Pálffy (1663–1751) was identified in the collections of Pernštejn Castle in Moravia. The portrait itself does not contain an identifying inscription, nor a dating or author's signature; it therefore opens up a number of serious issues. The three most fundamental questions may be formulated as follows: is Johann Pálffy really the aristocrat depicted in this portrait? If it really is the portrait of the aforementioned Pálffy, how and when did the painting get to Pernštejn Castle? And finally, can it be considered an early work by Franz Anton Palko (1717–1768)? The present study has the ambition to answer the aforementioned questions relating to this portrait of Pálffy and to thus contribute to the knowledge of Central European portraiture in the beginnings of the reign of Maria Theresa.