(Vienna 1803–1887)
The Letter, signed, dated Fr. Amerling 1837, oil on canvas, 58 x 47 cm, framed

Provenance:
Collection Siegwart (1861-1929) and Irma (1866-1945) Mayer von Ketschendorf, Vienna;
Thence by descent to their daughter Marguerite Mayer von Ketschendorf (1894-1970);
Thence by descent to the present owner – European Private Collection.

Cataolgued in:
Günther Probszt, Friedrich von Amerling. Der Altmeister der Wiener Portraitmalerei, Vienna 1927, p. 124, no. 403 (Elise Kreuzberger)

We are grateful to Dr. Sabine Grabner for the scientific assistance.

The present lot is an important rediscovery from the oeuvre of the Austrian painter Friedrich von Amerling, one of the foremost artists of the Biedermeier period. The painting was initially added to the distinguished collection of Baron Siegwart Mayer von Ketschendorf (1861-1929) and his wife Irma, née von Gutmann (born in 1866). Since then the painting has remained in the same family’s possession without being exhibited or published. Amerling studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna between 1815 and 1824 and then travelled to Prague, where he painted numerous portraits until 1827. He then relocated to London for two years, where he was influenced by the portrait painter Sir Thomas Lawrence. Further travels led him to Paris, where he studied with Horace Vernet. He then returned to Vienna, where from 1828 onwards he mainly worked for the Austrian court and aristocracy. In 1829 he was awarded the Reichel prize of the Academy in Vienna for his painting “Dido on the Pyre”. He spent the years 1831-32 in Italy. Upon his subsequent return to Vienna, he was commissioned a portrait of Emperor Franz I in the Austrian Imperial Regalia. From that moment on he became one of the foremost official portraitists in Vienna. From 1834 onwards he participated in the exhibitions of the Academy in Vienna and in 1836 he became a member of the Viennese Academy of Fine Arts. Numerous journeys through Europe followed.

Painted in 1837, Portrait of a Girl Reading a Letter epitomises Amerling’s Biedermeier style. It was painted during his most productive and creative period, in which he dedicated himself to portraits of unknown individuals. He focused primarily on portraits of women. He used soft colours in his portraits, accentuated by the interplay of light and shadow. He always tried to capture the personality of the sitter, exemplified here by a young girl who appears lost in thought.