10/13/2026
A wealthy empress, surrounded by splendor, sits atop her throne. Later that day, her domain will cease to exist and she, her husband, and her eight children will be forced into exile.
A court portrait commissioned by Empress Zita of Austria-Hungary in 1918, “The Last Audience of the Hapsburgs” depicts Empress Zita on her throne, surrounded by orphans from the first World War and their wealthy adoptive mothers, the “Marraines de Guerres” (“War Godmothers”).
Painted by Artur von Ferraris, the work was never finished. After the end of the Hapsburg dynasty and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918, von Ferraris spent the rest of his life wandering the globe before dying in 1936.
The painting’s unfinished state serves as a stark metaphor for the downfall of the empire, and the impermanence of power.
The canvas was eventually smuggled into the United States inside a rolled carpet, ensuring its preservation during the turbulent years of World War 2 and the N**i regime’s invasion of Austria in 1938.
The work was donated to the JSMA in the 1990s, where it remains in our permanent collection.
On view in the newly renovated Focus gallery.
🖼️ Artur von Ferraris (Hungarian, 1856-1936)
“The Last Audience of the Hapsburgs”
1918
Oil on canvas
Gift of Mrs. Louis K. Anspacher; Au31:Fe1
