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The Collegio dei Nobili di San Carlo was established in 1626 for the education of young men from noble families. In the corridor outside the theatre are displayed four portraits of dukes of Modena (two of Duke Ercole III, and one each of Duke Francis IV and of Duke Francis V).
The oil portrait of King Francis I (Duke Francis V of Modena) is by Luigi Manzini. 1 He wears a blue military uniform. Around his neck hangs the insignia of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece. On his breast he wears the red sash with blue borders and the star of an unidentified order of chivalry. Around his waste he wears a blue and white sash; several of these sashes are in the collection of the Museo Civico del Risorgimento. On a table to the left of Francis is a bound copy of the Codice Estense, the code of law published in 1771 and restored by Duke Francis IV of Modena in 1814. On top of the book are a marshall's baton and a ducal crown.
King Francis I
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The oil portrait of Duke Francis IV of Modena, husband of Queen Mary III and II is by an unidentified artist. He wears a white military uniform and the neck insignia of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece.
Duke Francis IV of Modena
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Website: www.fondazionesancarlo.it
Notes
1 Luigi Manzini was born in Modena in 1805 and died there in 1866. In 1840 he was named drawing instructor at the Collegio San Carlo, a position he held until his death. He is known principally for his decoration of various palaces, but he also painted portraits including several of members of the Royal Family. Cf. Adeodata Malatesta: La Virtù delle Arti e l'Accademia Atestina (Modena: Vaccari, 1998), 196.
Image 1 (King Francis I): Mauro Bini, Gli Estensi: seconda parte, La Corte di Modena (Modena: Il Bulino, 1999), 125.
Image 2 (Duke Francis IV of Modena): Bini, 113.
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