(Vienna 1790–1849)
Portrait of Marie Daffinger, neé Smalk von Smolenitz (1808–1880), the artist’s wife, in a violet dress with velvet collar and lace frills, flowers in her hand, set against a green curtain, a landscape in the background, circa 1828, watercolour on ivory, 12.2 x 9.3 cm, framed, (Hu)

CITES A

Provenance:
Wawra Auction, Moritz Michael Daffinger estate auction, 22.4.1921, lot. 43;
Collection Alexander Weiner, Vienna;
Auction Collection Linda Pazzani, Vienna;
Wawra 6.12. 1927, lot. 96, Kunsthandel Hermann Fromme, Vienna;
Private collection, Vienna.


Compare Literature:
Eduard Leisching, Die Bildnisminiatur in Österreich von 1750–1850, 1st edition, numbered copy no. 84, 1907, p.180 (with ill), cat. no. 99, p.140 and 243. Emil Pirchan, Moritz Michael Daffinger, Miniaturmaler des Vormärz, published by Wallishauser Vienna/Leipzig 1943, ill. no. 98.
Exhibition of Miniatures at the Albertina, 1924, no. 194 

Moritz Michael Daffinger Son of the porcelain painter Johann Leopold Daffinger. As a ten year old boy, Daffinger was already designing garlands of flowers for his mother who embroidered gloves for society ladies. As an eleven year old he started his apprenticeship in the imperial porcelain manufactory. He studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste where he was a pupil of Heinrich Friedrich Füger and dedicated himself to porcelain painting. From 1809 onwards he exclusively painted portraits, particularly miniatures on ivory. From 1812 he worked as a portraitist for Prince Metternich, and from 1836 was master of the portrait collection belonging to Princess Melanie von Metternich. He was strongly influenced by the English portrait painter Thomas Lawrence who came to Vienna in 1815 during the Congress. After the death of his daughter in 1841, Daffinger turned to flower painting. Moritz Michael Daffinger was so important as a portrait miniaturist that he influenced most of Austria’s later miniaturists. His oeuvre includes over 1,000 miniature portraits.