(Vienna 1803-1887)
Profile Portrait of a Girl Facing Right with Roses in her Hair, signed, dated Fr. Amerling 1869, oil on canvas, 56.5 x 46 cm, framed, (Rei)

Catalogued in:
Günther Probszt, Friedrich von Amerling, Der Altmeister der Wiener Porträtmalerei, published by Amalthea 1927, p. 163, no. 1306.

Provenance:
Thomas von Kallay de Nagy-Kallo collection (1867-1963), Budapest; Viennese private property.

We are grateful to Dr. Sabine Grabner for her assistance in cataloguing this work.

With his powers of precise observation and rich colouring both working to present his sitters in a positive light, Friedrich von Amerling became a popular portrait artist in the Imperial city. In addition to landscapes, his primary focus lay in portrait painting with a preference for female models, his atmospheric depictions proving particularly appealing to the observer. He applied soft colours in his flesh-tones, using light and shade to underscore the facial expressions. Delicate skin is contrasted against the dark background, rendering a subtlety to the portrait. The ribbons with flowers in the young girl’s hair lend the portrait a delightful touch, with her gaze into the distance an attempt to capture the essence of her nature. Friedrich von Amerling’s portraits of women were never standardised; in each of his depictions, as in the current work, he strove to interpret the personality of the sitter.