Portrait of a Young Lady: dark background, bright light

(1673 Szokolya / Hungary – 1757 Dresden) Portrait of a Court Lady. Against 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 purple cloak thrown over her shoulders, flowing, fastened with a clasp, and holds it with her left hand at her chest. On her head, she wears a diagonally placed blue hat adorned with a white feather in the shape of an S. The red of her lips is echoed by a precious gem on the hat. The depicted liveliness, the charm of the sitter, the temperament in the brushstroke, and the harmonious color scheme in shades of blue, red, and white indicate, among other obvious stylistic parallels, a work by Ádám Mányoki. This work was likely 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 from a painting by Mányoki. The details of the clothing and the characteristic color scheme are comparable to other portraits by Mányoki. The portraitist Ádám Mányoki was influenced by the important French painter Nicolas de Largillière, whose works he copied in the Salzthal Gallery. In 1703/1707, Mányoki was in Berlin, where he worked for Crown Prince Frederick William. In 1707, he became court painter to Prince Francis II Rákóczi in Hungary. He must have built 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 well-known and significant noble figures. 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 quality, his works are on par with the more famous Silvestre. Paintings by Mányoki 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. Framed. Accompanied by an expert opinion from Professor Dr. Helmut Börsch-Supan, Berlin. General literature: Enikő Buzási: "Ádám Mányoki (1673–1757)", monograph and catalogue of works, Budapest 2003. Oil on canvas. Accompanied by an expert opinion from Professor Dr. Helmut Börsch-Supan, Berlin.