(Haina 1722–1789 Kassel)
Portrait of a Lady in a Turquoise Garment with a Young Moor Serving Coffee,
oil on canvas, 70.5 x 53.5 cm, framed

We are grateful to Dr. Anna Charlotte Flohr, author of the catalogue raissonnée of Tischbein’s portraits, for confirming its authenticity after examining the present painting in the original.

The painting is accompanied by a certificate. The “Kasseler Tischbein” numbers among the most gifted and influential members of this prolific family of artists. His patron, Count Stadion, enabled him to study in Paris for a period of five years, where he worked in the studio of Charles Vanloo from 1743 on. Together with Johann Christian Fiedler, Christian Bernhard Rode, and Januarius Zick, Tischbein was one of the first German artists to travel to Paris for their further development. Between 1748 and 1751, Tischbein was in Italy, where he sojourned in Venice for several months, briefly visited Bologna and Florence, and lived in Rome for two years. In Venice he met Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, who became his friend. After his return from Italy, Count Stadion recommended the artist to Landgrave William VIII of Hesse-Kassel, who appointed him court painter in April 1753. After William’s death, Tischbein continued to be senior court painter to his successor, Frederick II. The artist started teaching drawing and painting at the Collegium Carolinum in 1762. In 1776, he became professor for painting at the Kassel Academy and simultaneously held the position of director. In 1779, he was appointed honorary member of the Accademia Clementina in Bologna. Tischbein is the author of important history paintings, yet today is primarily known for his courtly and elegant portraits. It has not been possible to definitely clarify whether the sitter in the present painting represents one of the daughters of the landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. Besides striking physiognomic resemblances, this would be suggested by her ermine-trimmed robe, which may well indicate that she was a member of the higher aristocracy; on the other hand, the ermine-lined blue coat was a standard component of a ‘Turkish attire’, and there are numerous examples of lower-ranking personalities who had themselves portrayed in a costume à la turque. There are also similarities with Tischbein’s second wife. The Turkish fashion prevalent at 18th-century European courts (turquerie) represented a social and historical phenomenon accounted for by the fascination for an alien culture that was no longer regarded as a threat. It gave expression to a theatrical fancy for the luxury and sensuality of an oriental lifestyle and in this respect was related to the contemporary trend of chinoiserie. The present painting depicts a lady in a dress that was apparently felt to be typical of that fashion and which also recurs in Liotard’s portrait of Empress Maria Theresa: it consists of an ermine-trimmed coat made of blue velvet and a bodiced dress. Since Liotard, feathers and pearls constituted an indispensable addition to this costume à la turque. The drop-shaped earrings can be found in another portrait by Tischbein, showing the likeness of Princess Marie Amalia in Wilhelmsthal Palace near Kassel.