Portrait of Countess Maria Ulrike of Lažany, nee Falkenhayn (1765–1852)

Jean Baptiste Isabey

Jean Baptiste Isabey - Portrait of Countess Maria Ulrike of Lažany, nee Falkenhayn (1765–1852)
Jean Baptiste Isabey portrayed Countess Lažanská, née Falkenhayn (1765–1856) at the wish of Empress Maria Louisa, in whose entourage he first visited Vienna and subsequently Prague in 1812. Besides a collection of small watercolour portraits of the Imperial family, the then already prominent French court portraitist made several portraits of members of the Austrian aristocracy. The portrait of Countess Lažanská is a distinctive testimony to Isabey’s art of the time, even though the portraitist surprisingly did not use the popular veils and a rose, instead giving preference to an openly realistic depiction of his client and only modestly employing idealizing components. Sparingly painted with opaque watercolours over white paper, he created an extraordinarily animated psychological portrait, which he often misused due to its fleeting effect of voguish compliment. This manner of producing a delicate and rapidly executable portrait become a pioneering feat in Central European watercolour portraiture of the Late Empire and high Biedermeier styles.
date:
measurements: height 132 mm
width 95 mm
in collections:
material: paper
technique: watercolour
inscription:
inventory number: DK 134
gallery collection: Collection of Prints and Drawings