Portrait Of A Young Woman In A White Dress By Jacopo Marastoni (1804 Venice – 1860 Pest), Attr.

This portrait of a young woman in a white dress and sheer scarf dates from the first half of the 19th century. Due to its strong similarities, it has been attributed to the famous Hungarian portraitist and lithographer Jakab Marastoni, whose real name was Jacopo Antonio Marastoni (1804, Venice – 1860, Pest).

For a comparison with other portraits by Marastoni, please see our supplementary images. An identical portrait of the same woman, but wearing a blue dress, can be seen in the first of our supplementary images.In 1830, Marastoni began his studies in Rome. He settled in Pest in 1836, after spending time in Vienna and Pressburg.[1] He quickly became a highly sought-after portraitist.In 1846, he founded the Első Magyar Festészeti Akadémiát (First Hungarian Academy of Painting)[1], which, as its name suggests, was the first school in Hungary dedicated exclusively to painting. A private school, its patrons and supporters included András Fáy, Gábor Döbrentei, and Archduke Stephen, Palatine of Hungary. The school also offered enrollment to the general public. Károly Lotz, Mihály Zichy, Soma Orlai Petrich, and Mihály Kovács were among its most famous students. Shortly after the school’s founding, Marastoni was named an honorary citizen of Pest.

Bibliography: Thieme/Becker encyclopedias, General Artist Lexicon, Leipzig, 1999 (in German); Lexicon of Hungarian Painters by Dr. Nagy, Budapest, 1997 (in Hungarian); Wikipedia online.

Inscription: unsigned.

Technique: oil on canvas, period gilded frame.

Dimensions: unframed 60.5 x 76 cm, framed 73 x 89 cm.

Condition: good condition, original canvas has been re-stretched.