Portrait of a young lady: dark background, bright light

(1673 Sokolya / Hungary – 1757 Dresden) Portrait of a Lady-in-Waiting. In front of a dark, nocturnal landscape background illuminated by bright light stands a young lady, gazing intently at the viewer with her head tilted, skillfully seductive. She wears a lilac cloak, thrown over her shoulders, flowing, fastened with a clasp, and holds it at her chest with her left hand. On her head, she wears a diagonally placed blue hat adorned with a white feather in the shape of the letter S. The red color of her lips is echoed by a precious stone on the hat. The depicted liveliness, the sitter’s charm, the temperament in the brushwork, and the harmonious color palette in blue-red-white tones indicate, along with some other obvious stylistic parallels, a work by Ádám Mányoki. This piece was probably created around 1715–1722, when he was a court painter at the court of Augustus the Strong (1670–1733) in Dresden. The unusual motif of the cloak held by the hand can also be seen in the portrait of Maria Susanna Dinglinger (wife of the Dresden court jeweler), reproduced after a painting by Mányoki. The clothing details and characteristic color scheme are comparable to other portraits by Mányoki. Portraitist Ádám Mányoki was influenced by the important French artist Nicolas de Largillière, whose works he copied in the Salzdahlum gallery. In 1703/07, Mányoki was in Berlin, where he worked for the Crown Prince Frederick William. In 1707, he became the court painter to Prince Francis II Rákóczi in Hungary. He must have gained such a reputation during this time that in 1713 Augustus the Strong appointed him court painter in Dresden, where he remained until 1723. There and during his travels, he created numerous portraits of famous and important members of the nobility. From 1738, he again worked at the court in Dresden, alongside court painter Louis de Silvestre, creating portraits of Frederick Augustus II, son of Augustus the Strong, and the nobility. In terms of quality, his works are not inferior to the more famous Silvestre. Mányoki’s paintings can be found, among other places, in Warsaw, especially in the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden and in the Moritzburg Castle Museum. Oil on canvas, 64 cm x 62 cm. In a frame. Accompanied by an expert opinion from Professor Dr. Helmut Börsch-Supan, Berlin. General literature: Enikő Buzási: “Ádám Mányoki (1673–1757),” monograph and catalog of works, Budapest 2003. Oil on canvas. Accompanied by an expert opinion from Professor Dr. Helmut Börsch-Supan, Berlin.