Friedrich Ritter von Amerling (1803-1887) Study of a Resting Woman

This oil study by Friedrich Ritter von Amerling shows a young woman in a recumbent pose, viewed from a low angle. The study, which was likely painted in situ, belongs to a sub-genre within his oeuvre in which resting figures in tranquil settings formed the basis for compositions that allowed the painter to devote attention to colour, facial expression and the rendering of fabrics, combining these aspects to create a balanced image that conveys subtle emotions.

Friedrich Ritter von Amerling was born in Vienna as the son of a gold- and silversmith. He studied at Vienna’s Academy of Fine Arts from 1815 to 1824, followed by two more years at the Academy in Prague. From 1827 to 1828 he resided in London, where he was influenced by the portrait painter Thomas Lawrence. Von Amerling’s subsequent travels took him to Paris, where he studied under Horace Vernet, and Rome, before returning to Vienna. There he worked for the Austrian court, nobility and middle class from 1828 onwards. Still, he continued to travel extensively, visiting Italy, the Netherlands, Munich, Rome, Spain, England, Greece, Scandinavia, Egypt and Palestine, and various other destinations.

This study was part of an auction at Christie’s in 1999, which sold objects from the collection of the brothers Nathaniel Mayer von Rothschild (1836-1905) and Albert Anselm von Rothschild (1844-1911). The auction comprised objects that had been confiscated during the war years and were finally restituted in February 1999, after which they were auctioned at Christie’s in July of that same year. 

Nathaniel Mayer ran the banking house of Vienna, but his interests extended far beyond finance. His botanical garden, the Hohe Warte, was open to the public, and he built a grand townhouse on Theresianumgasse in Vienna where he displayed his extensive art collection. He also enjoyed photography, as did his brother Albert; they both were respected members of the Club of Amateur Photographers in Vienna. 

Salomon Albert Ansem (to give his full name) married his cousin Bettina Caroline (née de Rothschild; 1858-1892), and resided primarily on the fashionable Heugasse in Vienna. After Bettina’s early death, he founded a women’s hospital in Vienna in her memory: the Bettina Pavilion. He was an early nature conservationist, commissioned the construction of an observatory, and—together with his brother—built up a spectacular collection of art and artifacts.

After the war, this painting became part of the collection of the Viennese Galerie Belvedere until its restitution to the Rothschilds in 1999. It can be found on page 49 of Galerie Belvedere’s catalogue.