Portrait of Olga von Grunelius, Franz Xaver Winterhalter
Franz Xaver Winterhalter
Portrait of Olga von Grunelius
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Franz Xaver Winterhalter

Portrait of Olga von Grunelius, 1872


Dimensions
83.4 x 67.5 cm
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
2171
Acquisition
Acquired in 1995 as a gift from Marguerite and Rudolf von Grunelius, Renata von Bernus, née Grunelius, and Marielisa von Pufendorf, née Grunelius, in memory of their father Max von Grunelius, property of Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.
Status
Not on display

Texts

About the Work

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.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
Portrait of Olga von Grunelius
Painter
Period Produced
School
Object Type
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Material
Technique
Label at the Time of Manufacture
signiert und datiert links: FrWinterhalter / 1872

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Eigentum des Städelschen Museums-Vereins e.V.
Picture Copyright
Public Domain
Acquisition
Acquired in 1995 as a gift from Marguerite and Rudolf von Grunelius, Renata von Bernus, née Grunelius, and Marielisa von Pufendorf, née Grunelius, in memory of their father Max von Grunelius, property of Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.

Work Content

Motifs and References

Iconclass

Primary
Secondary

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History
Auguste Marie Olga von Grunelius (1849-1925) geb. Freiin von Bethmann und Moritz Eduard Hermann von Grunelius (1843-1923), Frankfurt am Main
an ihren Sohn Max von Grunelius (1870-1963), Frankfurt am Main
Schenkung von Marguerite von Grunelius (1905-1995), Rudolf von Grunelius (1903-1998), Renata von Bernus geb. von Grunelius (1916-2011), Marielisa von Pufendorf geb. von Grunelius (1919-2006) in Erinnerung an ihren Vater, Max von Grunelius, an den Städelschen Museums-Verein e.V., Frankfurt am Main, 1995.

Information

Since 2001, the Städel Museum has systematically been researching the provenance of all objects that were acquired during the National Socialist period, or that changed owners or could have changed owners during those years. The basis for this research is the “Washington Declaration”, also known as the “Washington Conference Principles”, formulated at the 1998 “Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets” and the subsequent “Joint Declaration”.

The provenance information is based on the sources researched at the time they were published digitally. However, this information can change at any time when new sources are discovered. Provenance research is therefore a continuous process and one that is updated at regular intervals.

Ideally, the provenance information documents an object’s origins from the time it was created until the date when it found its way into the collection. It contains the following details, provided they are known:

  • the type of acquisition and/or the way the object changed hands
  • the owner's name and place of residence
  • the date on which it changed hands

The successive ownership records are separated from each other by a semicolon.

Gaps in the record of a provenance are indicated by the placeholder “…”. Unsupported information is listed in square brackets.

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Last update

25.04.2024