(Salzburg 1840–1884 Vienna)
Portrait of a lady with a fan, stamp on the reverse Hans Makart Nachlaß Wien 1885 [The Estate of Hans Makart Vienna 1885]; Kunsthandlung H. O. Miethke Wien [H. O. Miethke art dealers, Vienna],
oil on panel, 116 x 68 cm, framed, (W)

Provenance:
From the artist’s estate, Galerie H. O. Miethke, Vienna, 26 March 1885, lot 26;
acquired by Hugo Othmar Miethke (1834–1918), Vienna;
Private Collection, Vienna;
Private Collection, Austria.

Listed and reproduced in:
Gerbert Frodl, Hans Makart Werkverzeichnis der Gemälde, Belvedere Wien 2013, p. 312, no. 539,
auction catalogue Vienna, Miethke, Nachlass Makart 1885, no. 26;
Lauser, Makart 1885 mentioned;
Gerbert Frodl, Hans Makart, Monographie und Werkverzeichnis, Salzburg Residenz Verlag 1974, cat. no. 473

Hans Makart, the prince of painters of the Viennese Ringstraße era known for his lavishly staged studio parties and parades, was known also as the portrait-painter of Viennese society. Makart was commissioned predominantly for portraits of women. His clientele comprised women both from aristocratic circles and the high bourgeoisie. What is striking in Makart’s portraits is the dominance of a particular colour palette, which repeats itself in varying nuances. His portraits range between the expressive brush strokes applied to the clothes and a glazed style of painting in the complexion of his subject. In the painting here, the colouring of the image is characterised above all by its shades of brown. The woman portrayed looks directly at the viewer. The brush strokes are applied powerfully and almost in impasto manner. The chosen colours melt into a harmonic unity. Makart’s main focus is to be found less in the exactly detailed rendering of his subject than it is in his depiction of its individual sensibility.