Who painted Portrait of a Lady?

Portrait of a Lady was painted by Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller in ca. 1805.

Where can I see Portrait of a Lady?

Portrait of a Lady is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Portrait of a Lady?

Portrait of a Lady is associated with American Impressionism.

Artwork

Portrait of a Lady

Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller , 1805

Portrait of a Lady is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller. It dates from 1805 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The work is a portrait of a single female sitter, identified in the catalog records as a woman.

The work is a portrait of a single female sitter, identified in the catalog records as a woman. It was executed by Adolph Ulrich Wertmuller in 1805 using oil on tin and measures roughly 9.2 by 7.3 units, placing it within the American Wing’s portrait genre. The subject appears in conventional portrait attire without overt emblematic attributes, suggesting a focus on individual likeness rather than symbolic narrative.

As a piece in The American Wing, the painting exemplifies early American portraiture that emphasized realistic representation of elite sitters, reflecting contemporary notions of status and identity among women of the period.

Technique & Style

The work is executed in oil paint on a tin support, a medium noted in the catalogue entry for the 1805 portrait. Its dimensions are approximately 9.2 units high by 7.3 units wide, as recorded in the museum’s metadata. Classified as a portrait, the painting depicts a single woman and belongs to the genre of portraiture.

No further details about the artist’s handling, surface condition, or specific stylistic characteristics are provided in the supplied sources.

History & Provenance

Portrait of a Lady (1805) by Adolph Ulrich Wertmuller is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is listed in the collection of The American Wing. The work is catalogued as an oil on tin portrait depicting a woman, and its accession is recorded within the museum’s holdings, though the precise inventory number is not provided in the source material. The available documentation does not note any documented exhibition history for the piece beyond its inclusion in the museum’s permanent display.

Overview

Adolph Ulrich Wertmüller's Portrait of a Lady, painted around 1805, is an oil on tin work. This small-scale painting, measuring just eight by six inches, presents a direct and intimate depiction of an unidentified woman. The artist, a Swedish painter with European training, created this piece during his time in America. Its modest dimensions contribute to the immediate presence of the sitter, drawing the viewer into her gaze.

Context

Adolph Ulrich Wertmüller, a Swedish artist, received his artistic education in Stockholm and Paris, where he developed a refined portraiture style. He gained recognition through royal commissions in Europe, notably painting Marie Antoinette for King Gustav III of Sweden. His presence and artistic activity in the United States around 1805, when this portrait was made, reflect the transatlantic movement of artists and the demand for skilled portraitists in the young nation.

Mrs. Gabriel Manigault (Margaret Izard), Walter Robertson

Artist & collection

Artist

Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller

Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller (February 18, 1751 – October 5, 1811) was a Swedish painter whose notable works include Danaë receiving Jupiter in a Shower of Gold.