Jacob Graf Durazzo

What you are looking at

A man in 18th-century dress stands at a writing desk or small table in a classical interior, holding a quill pen or brush in one hand while gesturing toward a sheet of paper or document before him. He wears a chocolate-brown coat with decorative embroidery, his pale hair styled in the fashion of the mid-to-late 1700s. The setting is framed by an ornate baroque architectural surround—fluted pilasters, scrollwork, and a shell cartouche at the apex—suggesting this is a formal portrait of a distinguished figure. A small decorative urn or finial sits atop the frame. In the background, glimpsed through the architectural frame, are hints of a classical interior space. The entire composition is rendered as an engraving, with fine parallel lines creating tone and shadow. Below the image sits a coat of arms and an inscription in Latin and German that likely identifies the subject.

The dancing

The single figure is shown in a pose of intellectual or artistic production rather than physical motion. His right hand holds a writing instrument aloft in a gesture of creation or composition; his left rests on the desk surface. His posture is upright and dignified, with weight evenly distributed in a standing position. There is no visible dance hold, frame, or bodily movement—the pose is that of a statesman, composer, or administrator at work, not a dancer in motion.

The dance depicted

This engraving does not depict dance. The title identifies the subject as Jacob Graf Durazzo, an 18th-century imperial administrator and patron of the arts at the Viennese court. While Durazzo was indeed a significant figure in dance history—as director of the imperial theaters in Vienna he oversaw ballet productions and worked with choreographers—this portrait shows him in his professional capacity as a bureaucrat and cultural administrator, not as a dancer or in a dance context. The image records his role as a maker and patron of dance rather than a performer of it.

How it was made

This is a copper-plate engraving, characteristic of 18th-century portraiture and formal documentation. The technique uses fine parallel lines and cross-hatching to model form, light, and fabric texture—particularly visible in the rendering of the coat and the face. Engravings of this type were circulation prints, produced in multiples for distribution among educated elites, diplomats, and institutions. The elaborate architectural frame and heraldic cartouche indicate this was an official portrait, likely commissioned to commemorate Durazzo's position and service.

About this work

This is an 18th-century engraved portrait of Jacob Graf Durazzo, an Austrian imperial official and major patron of dance at the Viennese court. The image documents him in his administrative capacity—seated or standing at work, pen in hand—rather than as a dancer. Durazzo's historical importance lies in his directorship of Vienna's imperial theaters during the 1750s-1760s, a period of major innovation in ballet and dance practice. This portrait belongs in a dance collection not because it shows dancing, but because it records a crucial figure in the institutional and artistic history of 18th-century theatrical dance.

How to look at it

Attend to the symbolic language of the portrait: the pen and desk identify intellectual and administrative authority rather than physical skill. The classical frame and heraldic insignia mark this as an official document of rank and service. The carefully rendered costume and dignified posture present Durazzo as a man of taste and cultivation—qualities essential to his role as a curator and director of the arts. The engraving technique itself, with its fine parallel lines and restrained tonal range, conveys formality and permanence.

The artist

The engraver is not identified in the catalogue record. The style and technique are consistent with mid-to-late 18th-century Austrian or German court engraving; the work was likely commissioned as an official commemorative print by the imperial administration or by Durazzo himself. The elaborate frame and heraldic apparatus suggest a printmaker of some standing working within courtly patronage.

The period

This engraving dates to the height of the Enlightenment, when dance was undergoing significant reform across European courts. In Vienna particularly, the 1750s-1760s saw the emergence of a new, more naturalistic ballet aesthetic—moving away from purely ornamental court dance toward narrative and dramatic forms. Durazzo's tenure as director of the imperial theaters coincided with the choreographic innovations of Franz Hilverding and Gasparo Angiolini. In the visual arts, formal engraved portraits of patrons and administrators served to document and legitimize cultural authority; the classical architectural frame situates Durazzo within the learned, refined world he patronized.

Where it lives

The work is held in the New York Public Library's collection of prints depicting dance. It is classified as a historical document and portrait engraving, not a dance scene. The inscription below the frame in Latin and German provides the subject's name and likely his titles and dates of service.

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