Portrait of a Girl

Friedrich von Amerling was one of the most distinguished 19th-century Austrian portrait painters.

The young lady with fashionable corkscrew ringlets and blushing cheeks is the portrait of a pretty Biedermeier girl. The flawless complexion of her skin makes a charming combination with the white of the blouse, vividly accentuated by the jaunty little red bow at her nape. Broad, easy brush-strokes render the texture of the simple blouse and the folds of the loosely-draped shawl. The pose, with the subject turned away from the viewer, the back partly exposed, is a stylistic device frequently adopted by Amerling, as is the close-up view, emphasising the intimacy expressed.