Possibly Franciska Krasinska, Duchess of Courland

c. 1790

Angelica Kauffmann

Associated Names
Angelica Kauffmann

Artist, Swiss, 1741 - 1807

The portrait depicts the upper half of a woman's body. She is posed facing slightly to the side, with her head tilted and gaze averted. The woman has soft facial features, fair skin, rosy cheeks, and a subtle smile. Her brown curly hair is styled with volume on top and falls over her shoulder, and she wears a dark headband. She is dressed in a light gown with intricate details, set against a softly painted sky background with light clouds.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Miss Alice Preston

  • Dimensions

    overall (painted oval): 62.9 x 49.5 cm (24 3/4 x 19 1/2 in.)
    framed: 72.4 x 57.8 x 3.2 cm (28 1/2 x 22 3/4 x 1 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1954.5.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

By descent in the Krasinski Family, Saxony; sold 1889 to Mrs. George Rutledge Preston, New York;[1] by inheritance to her daughter, Alice Preston, London; gift 1954 to NGA.
[1] According to a 1 May 1954 letter from the donor to NGA director David Finley (in NGA curatorial files), her mother purchased the painting in June 1889 through the curator Theodor Schmidt of the Royal Dresden Gallery.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1968

  • [Opening exhibition], High Museum of Art, Atlanta, 1968-1969, no catalogue.

1972

  • Styles in Portraiture, Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association, Alexandria, Virginia, 1972, no catalogue.

2011

  • Portraits in Miniature, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstown, Maryland, 2011, brochure, fig. 9.

Bibliography

1965

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 71.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 63, repro.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 184, repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 213, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q20179867

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