Portrait of a Lady C.1770; Circle of Alexander Roslin (1718-1793)

Oil on canvas in original frame.

In this charming portrait circa 1770 the artist knew how to get to the heart and soul of their subject. The subject has been depicted with great elegance and charm and the elaborate hairstyle was at the height of fashion during the 1770s. During this decade woman incorporated a variety of decorative objects into their coiffure, as seen in our portrait where a blue ribbon, silk cloth and a string of pearls are used. This style was eventually replaced by elaborate hats in the 1780s. Presented in its original exquisite 18th century gilded frame.

Roslin was surely one of Sweden’s most successful portraitists of the 1700s. He was born the same year that Charles XII died, in 1718. Roslin had great talent for painting as a child and at the age of 16 he was accepted as a pupil of the court painter Georg Engelhard Schröder in Stockholm, where he spent 7 years. This was a period of material reconstruction in Sweden and people were unable to afford the vanity and luxury of the fine arts. This lead to young artists including Roslin to venture abroad in search for a living. He went on an educational tour of Italy and in 1752 he painted the royal family in Parma and before going to Paris. In Paris he was under the patronage of Francois Boucher and his work soon became in demand as he was known as "a brilliant champion of the art". Roslin painted on several occasions the French royal family, and many other princes from different countries. After his wife, pastel painter Marie-Suzanne Giroust, died he returned for a time to Sweden and was summoned to the Russian court spending two years in the service of Catherine II in St Petersburg. He was overwhelmed with commissioned works, and according to his own memoirs, he worked from five in the morning until ten at night. From Russian he continued to Warsaw, Vienna and back to Paris in 1778. In Paris he was elected to the French Academy and he obtained a rare honour - a pension from the French government, even though he was a "foreigner", and free housing in the Louvre. When he died he was the wealthiest artist in Paris. Roslin’s work has sold for up to $3 million. He is represented widely in museums around the world.

Measurements: Height 68cm, Width 58cm framed (Height 26.75”, Width 22.75” framed)

Provenance: Large old master collection, southern Germany

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