Amalie Zuckerkandl

Amalie Zuckerkandl (1869–1944) was the daughter of Viennese writer and playwright Sigmund Schlesinger. She was married to surgeon and urologist Dr. Otto Zuckerkandl. His brother Emil Zuckerkandl was a famous anatomist and husband of the writer and art critic Berta Zuckerkandl, née Szeps. The latter relationship is most likely due to the family's strong ties to Gustav Klimt. Klimt was commissioned to paint Amalie's portrait in 1913 or 1914. The master artist likely completed the subject's face and shoulders during those years. The way in which Klimt meticulously brings out the contrast between the model's bright complexion and her dark hair and eccentric black collar with lace tied back in a bow is astounding. During the First World War, Amalie Zuckerkandl stayed in Lviv where her husband worked as a doctor. She herself worked in the same hospital as a nurse. After she returned from Lviv, Klimt wanted to resume work on her portrait and drew some additional pencil sketches. However, he could not change all that much about the oil painting itself. Suggestions of floral ornamentation can be spotted at several points on the already green background. Even the dress and shawl can only be assumed based on the sketch drawn in pencil on the canvas.
The rest of the story of Amalie Zuckerkandl is especially tragic and shocking. Her marriage to Otto Zuckerkandl ended in 1919. Around 20 years later, she was arrested by the National Socialists under the Nuremberg Racial Laws and murdered together with her daughter Hermine Müller-Hofmann in 1942 in the Bełžec concentration camp in Poland.