Rosalba Carriera - a virtuoso of pastel painting

(1675 Venice - 1757 ibid) Portrait of Magdalena Sibylla von Neitschütz, Countess of Rochlitz. The virtuoso pastel painter Rosalba Carriera has depicted the noblewoman masterfully with a soft, sculptural color fusion as a young, coquettish, seductive, dark-haired beauty, lightly turned in profile and with her gaze directed towards the viewer. She is dressed in a delicate light blue dress with a lace neckline, and her vibrant blue cloak is held by a diamond clasp. Carriera was one of the first female artists to achieve European-wide fame during her lifetime. Her talent was discovered and nurtured at a young age, and she studied at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome and later with Antonio Balestra in Venice. Since 1704, Carriera turned to the then still quite young genre of pastel painting and significantly contributed to establishing this technique as a respected form of art. In 1705, she was appointed a member of the Accademia di San Luca in Rome (an exceptionally high distinction for a woman), and in 1721, she followed with the Académie Royale in Paris. The numerous portraits of rulers of reigning European dynasties demonstrate how sought-after the artist was. In addition to the aristocracy, she also portrayed famous personalities and celebrated ladies. The largest collection of her works is still housed today in the Dresden Gemäldegalerie with 73 pastels. Pastel on paper. 47 x 37 cm. Rococo frame. The life of the depicted (1675-1694) was short and tragic. She grew up in the immediate vicinity of the Saxon court as the daughter of the later Lieutenant General Rudolph von Neitschütz and the sister of the Oberhofmarschall Friedrich Adolph von Haugwitz. In 1687, Elector Johann Georg IV fell in love with her, and when he ascended the throne in 1691, she became his mistress, quickly gaining significant influence at the court and acquiring possessions. In 1693, on the initiative of the Elector and with immense bribery by Emperor Leopold I, she was elevated to the rank of Reichsgräfin von Rochlitz. However, in autumn 1693, the first signs of an illness appeared, and on April 4, 1694, she died at the young age of 19, presumably from smallpox, and was buried in the crypt of the Sophienkirche. Elector Johann Georg IV followed her only a few weeks later, possibly from the same illness. His brother and successor, Friedrich August I the Strong, subsequently initiated a posthumous, extensive witch trial against the Neitschütz family and their followers. Magdalena Sibylla's mortal remains were examined for signs of witchcraft, and afterwards, she was anonymously buried. The possessions of Magdalena Sibylla and her mother were confiscated. Provenance: Owned by the family of the Counts of Schall-Riaucour, Gaußig Castle (until 1945); after 1990, restitution and auction of the castle inventory at Nagel, Stuttgart, January 31, 1998, lot 624.