Josefina

Josef Mánes is the most significant member of the Mánes family of painters. His father Antonín was a landscape painter, his uncle Václav painted historical topics and portraits, and his siblings Quido and Amálie were also painters. Josef Mánes mastered flawlessly all the painting categories, and his work was taken as an example for future generations of visual artists. The portrait of a young woman conceived as a half-nude has remained veiled in mystery. The identity of the portrayed has not been discovered. One theory says it is an actress Josefina N.; however, it may be also an ideal female portrait. One way or the other, the painting must have been of special importance to Mánes because he kept it in his studio until his death.