Friedrich von Amerling

Baron Franz Wertheim, Vienna, by 1927

With Judy Klotz Fine Art, Abilene

With Shepherd Gallery, New York, by 1994

Private Collection

Günther Probszt, Friedrich won Amerling: Der Altmeister der Wiener Portratmalerei, Vienna 1927, p. 127, no. 450a

Sabine Grabner ed., Friedrich von Amerling: Catalogue Raisonee of his Paintings, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna 2025, p. 157, no. 510, illustrated in color (illustration erroneously attributed to no. 509)

Painted in 1839 the present work is an important rediscovery from one of the most creative and productive periods of the artist’s career, when he was at the height of his artistic powers.

Friedrich von Amerling is one of the most important Austrian 19th Century painters, and together with Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller was acclaimed as one of the best Austrian portraitists of his time through his work as court painter for several Emperors of Austria. However, Amerling’s genre paintings were also highly sought-after. Works such as the present work beautifully illustrates why he was considered one of the foremost artists of the Biedermeier period. Austrian painting during the Biedermeier period is characterized by a commitment to realism, but also emphasized themes of Gemütlichkeit, piety and simplicity, rejecting political and social commentary. These themes all find brilliant expression in the present painting. The intimate moment of a sleeping young woman dreaming of getting married to her beloved exudes sensuality but at the same time also tenderness, romance, innocence and warmth.

Amerling studied fine art at the Vienna and Prague academies before becoming a pupil of the portraitists Sir Thomas Lawrence in London and Horace Vernet in Paris. He completed his studies in Rome before returning to Vienna in 1828, where he quickly established a reputation having gained commissioned from the emperor, the Austrian nobility and the bourgeoisie.

During the course of his life Amerling painted over a thousand works, mainly portraits of prominent contemporaries, including a life-size portrait of Emperor Franz II, as well as portraits of Franz Liszt, aristocratic ladies, and politicians of the day. Careful observation and rich colors characterize these portraits, which transcend subtle character studies: they also documented the roles and self-perception of the depicted and thus provide a detailed insight into the world of the Biedermeier and Viennese society at the time of the Vormärz.

Dr. Gerbert Frodl kindly confirmed the authenticity of the present work.