Antoine Pesne

(Paris 1683-1757 Berlin), attributed to, Portrait of the royal Prussian field marshal Christoph Wilhelm von Kalckstein (Ottlau 1682-1759 Berlin), oil on canvas, 156 x 115.1 cm, framed,

Provenance: formerly owned by the Von Kalckstein family; Westphalian nobility. Christoph Wilhelm von Kalckstein came from an old East Prussian family and was one of the major Prussian generals of the 18th century. In 1718 he became the tutor of Crown Prince Frederick, the future King Frederick II. He soon earned the crown prince’s confidence and affection and tried in vain to mediate between him and his father. In 1729 Kalckstein returned to the Prussian army, where he saw a meteoric rise: in 1733 he was appointed major general and in 1741, major lieutenant; that year he also became a knight of the Order of the Black Eagle. In 1747 Frederick II, his former pupil, appointed him field marshal. He won several victories during the Silesian Wars. After a long and successful life, Kalckstein was buried in a tomb at the Garrison Church in Berlin in 1759.