Austrian or Central European School, Portrait of a Lady in White Dress with Floral Shawl and Long Chain with Pendant, ca. 1825–1835

Austrian or Central European School, Portrait of a Lady in White Dress with Floral Shawl and Long Chain with Pendant, ca. 1825–1835

Oil on canvas, relined

Size: 77 × 62 cm

Half-length portrait of a lady, set against a dark background with a painted oval reserve, a format frequently adopted in Biedermeier portraiture. The sitter wears a white dress in light fabric, with short puffed sleeves embroidered with white floral motifs worked directly into the cloth, a refined detail much appreciated in contemporary fashion. The waist is tightened by a black belt with a rectangular buckle, typical of the years 1820–1830.

Her hairstyle, with smooth side bands framing the face and a high chignon, is adorned with a gilded comb ornament, a fashionable accessory in Vienna and Central Europe between 1825 and 1835. Around her neck hangs a long multi-strand gold necklace with flat-link chain, supporting an octagonal faceted stone pendant, possibly quartz or lead glass, set in a gilded decorative mount.

A dark shawl with multicoloured floral motifs, rendered with broad and lively brushstrokes, is draped over her shoulder. Such shawls were a hallmark of Biedermeier taste, when Central European textile workshops reinterpreted costly oriental cashmere in more accessible versions.

Condition

The painting is in excellent condition, having undergone a recent delicate cleaning that restored its original chromatic freshness. There is an almost total absence of retouching, with the paint surface remaining substantially original and homogeneous, enriched by a fine period patina.