Artwork
Selbstbildnis an der Staffelei
Selbstbildnis an der Staffelei is an oil painting by the Biedermeier artist Johann Baptist von Lampi the Elder. It dates from 1828 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the artist standing at an easel, holding a palette and brushes, turning to confront the viewer with a direct gaze.
The painting depicts the artist standing at an easel, holding a palette and brushes, turning to confront the viewer with a direct gaze.
The work functions as a self-portrait, visually asserting the sitter’s identity and professional role. By including the tools of painting, the artist underscores his mastery and status as a practitioner of portraiture. The composition conveys immediacy and self-awareness, emphasizing the act of painting itself as central to the subject’s persona.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas in 1828, the work measures 99 cm in height and 81 cm in width. The handling is characteristic of the period’s portrait tradition, with smooth blending of flesh tones and controlled brushwork to articulate facial features and costume details. The composition centers on the artist at the easel, employing a restrained palette dominated by earth tones and subdued contrasts to focus attention on the face and hands.
The brushwork remains delicate, avoiding visible impasto or textural exaggeration, which supports the work’s function as a formal self-representation rather than an experimental exercise.
History & Provenance
Johann Baptist von Lampi the Elder created the oil painting Selbstbildnis an der Staffelei in 1828. The work is a self-portrait depicting the artist at his easel, executed on canvas. Since its inception, the painting has been held in the collection of the Belvedere, which is part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
No specific details regarding a commission, previous owners, or the precise circumstances of its creation are provided in the available records.
The painting is held in the collection of the Belvedere, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, where it is inventoried under the accession associated with the Belvedere holdings.
It was included in the exhibition Lampi. Von der Italienreise zum Wiener Kongress held at the Belvedere in 2022.
Overview
Selbstbildnis an der Staffelei is a self-portrait painted in oil by Johann Baptist von Lampi the Elder in 1828. It is a representative work of the Biedermeier style and is now held in the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Context
As a work of the Biedermeier movement, Selbstbildnis an der Staffelei reflects the period's emphasis on realism and attention to detail. The painting's focus on the artist's everyday surroundings and activities is characteristic of the style.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Johann Baptist von Lampi the Elder
Johann Baptist von Lampi the Elder (German: Johann Baptist von Lampi der Ältere, Polish: Jan Chrzciciel Lampi; 31 December 1751 – 11 February 1830) was an Austrian-Italian historical and portrait painter.
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