Portrait Of A Young Woman In A Hooded Cape, “marta S[?]. Pieterburg”, Circa 1840 Watercolour

Portrait of a Young Woman in a Hooded Cape, “Marta S[?]. Pieterburg”, circa 1840

Watercolour on paper
Circa 1835–1845

At lower right is the handwritten inscription “Marta S[?]. Pieterburg”. The reading Pieterburg, a form historically used for St Petersburg, suggests a possible connection between the portrait and a Russian milieu.

The young woman wears a voluminous light-coloured hooded cape, edged in pink and finished with a tassel. Hooded capes, mantles and pelerines were fashionable during the first half of the 19th century, particularly as garments for walking and travelling. Both practical and elegant, they were worn during stays at climatic resorts and fashionable destinations frequented by European high society, such as Hyères and Nice, as well as Italian resorts.

The reference to St Petersburg, together with this particular style of dress, evokes the world of 19th-century aristocratic travel. Months spent in the great capitals alternated with extended stays on the Riviera, at climatic and spa resorts, and in the Italian cities of art. Hyères, Nice, Genoa, Florence, Rome and Naples formed part of this international geography of fashionable travel, also frequented by the Russian aristocracy.

Watercolour itself was particularly suited to this culture of travel: light and easily transportable, it allowed portraits, places and encounters to be preserved in family albums.

The young woman is shown half-length, leaning naturally against a balustrade before a wooded landscape. Her centre-parted hairstyle is complemented by a refined arrangement of white lace, ribbons and pink flowers. The quality of her dress and accessories points to a high social milieu, while the informal pose retains the intimacy of a private portrait.

The hairstyle and costume allow the work to be dated circa 1840, most probably between 1835 and 1845. The inscription does not at present allow the sitter to be identified, but provides a significant avenue for further research into a possible connection with St Petersburg and Russian society.

Condition: good, with slight sunning to the paper.