Joseph Werner Berne 1637 - 1710

Werner was born in Berne, Switzerland and trained in Basel and Frankfurt.  Around 1654, he went to Rome and established himself as a painter of miniature portraits and allegories.  He was summoned by Louis XIV to Paris where he continued to work as a portrait miniaturist, often portraying his sitters in the guise of gods and goddesses.  Werner also painted purely mythological subjects such as this charming portrayal of Orpheus.  Another mythological work, a miniature on vellum depicting Diana Bathing, was sold in these rooms on January 28, 2000, lot 48 for $266,500.