Portrait of Olga von Grunelius 1872
franzxaverwinterhalter
stadelmuseum
oil, canvas
portrait
personal snap photobooth
woman
16_19th-century
wedding photograph
photo restoration
oil
culture event photography
character photography
canvas
person communication photography
multicultural outfit
portrait character photography
fashion model stance
realism
celebrity portrait
Franz Xaver Winterhalter's "Portrait of Olga von Grunelius" from 1872 depicts a young woman in an elegant, light blue dress and a white shawl, rendered in the artist's signature, meticulous detail. The portrait, now housed in the Städel Museum, is an excellent example of Winterhalter's mastery of portraiture, known for his depictions of European nobility and high society. The use of muted colors and the subject's composed expression creates a sense of intimacy and quiet grace.
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From the 1830s onwards, Franz Xaver Winterhalter was one of the most famous and most sought-after portraitists of the European aristocracy. His romantically idealising portraits render the models in a flattering, almost diffused manner. This also applies to the portrait of the 23-year-old Olga von Grunelius, née Baroness von Bethmann (1849–1925). Her husband, the Frankfurt banker Moritz Eduard Grunelius, commissioned it in 1872 and it shows the young woman, in keeping with the contemporary fashion, in a lace-trimmed blue evening gown and with a delicate tulle veil around her shoulders. The masterful depiction of luxurious materials and fabrics is considered one of the the characteristics of the portraits by the so-called "princely painter". The artist died of typhoid fever in 1873 during a stay in Frankfurt am Main. His grave is located at Frankfurt's main cemetery.
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