111. Portrait of Logofătessa Maria Dudescu [1810-1815]

Mihail Töpler

1780 - 1820

Selling price

EUR 20.126

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Session

Thu, 12 December 2024 17:00

Rooted in Töplitz, Bohemia, Mihail Töpler will affirm himself as one of the important academic painters of the nineteenth century. He will acquire the precepts of academicism, according to the epoch, within the Fine Arts Academy of Vienna. Around the year 1800, he was in Bucharest, a fact revealed by the existence of the portrait made for Alexandru Moruzzi. Near the year 1803, the artist was in Iasi, where he painted the portrait of the Metropolitan Iacob Stamati. Starting from these dates and looking at his gallery of portraits, we will see that Mihail Töpler was one of the favorite painters of Bucharest's protipendada in the nineteenth century. Especially the female portraits become exponents through demonstrating a perfected meticulousness - hairstyles, jewelry, "empire" dresses, a subtle oriental note highlighted by accessories, but also the carefully studied light effects contribute to creating this atmosphere. The artist also pays special attention to textures - be it velvet, silk, furs or veils. He also excels in rendering pearlescent flesh tone, but also expressions full of vitality. His works have largely remained unsigned, but the faces captured on canvas reveal personalities such as: Mrs. Safta Vacarescu (wife of Constantin Ipsilanti), the Hatman's wife Maria Cantacuzino, Zoita Brancoveanu or Maria Ghica, thus the ladies of high society, wives of rulers or boyars. In this work we note the portrait of the logofetesa Maria Dudescu (born Cantacuzino), the daughter of Maria Pârșcoveanu Cantacuzino and the hatman Iordache Cantacuzino. She was the wife of Constantin Dudescu (in the early 1800s). Their marriage sparked controversy at the time due to Constantin Dudescu's still unannounced divorce from his former wife; but also due to Maria Dudescu's concubinage alongside the Austrian major Keller. C. Dudescu did not care for the family fortune or estates, but set about selling them. He was a controversial character at the time, a legend of the nineteenth century, through a life riddled with luxury, adventures and parties. It is said that he traveled to Paris with a memorandum for Emperor Napoleon I - asking that the Romanian principalities come under his protection, but it is not certain whether C. Dudescu did or did not actually meet Napoleon. The Logofat, a high-ranking official in the hierarchy of Romanian boyars, a member of the Sovereign Council, was one of the important personalities of the time. Through marriage, Maria Dudescu also enjoyed certain advantages. The clothing and jewelry confirm her high status, by the neckline of the blouse, the pleated veil, the green velvet dress and fur-trimmed silk robe. The posture is typical of the epoch - the free hand, lightly leaned on the elbow, which reinforces the idea of refinement, elegance and at the same time a particular simplicity. The jewelry is highlighted on the belt and around the waist she has a tight cord. Mihail Töpler would also have painted the portrait of Maria Dudescu's mother, but for that portrait the artist opted for a landscape background, creating one of his famous compositions with portrait in landscape. In this case the background is sober, most likely the interior of the protagonist's house, the elegant and imposing divan gives us such a clue.

References

NICULESCU, Remus, "Contributions to the history of the beginnings of Romanian painting" in "Studies and Research of Art History", Academy Publishers R.P.R., no. 1-2, 1954. IFTIMI, Sorin, "The portrait of Smaranda Manu by Mihail Topler, located at the Bacau Art Museum" in "ACTA BACOVIENSIA", Magic Print, Onesti, 2015.

Dimensions

width 68 cm, height 82 cm

Description

oil on canvas

Research information

The artwork is reproduced in the catalogue "Documents from the 16th - 19th centuries pertaining to the Mano Family", Constantin George Manu, the Royal Court Typography, Bucharest, 1907, on page 620, with the description: "Logofeteasa Maria Dudescu, born Cantacuzino. Wife of the Great Logofăt Constantin Dudescu. - Sister of Caimacamul Constantin Cantacuzino. (Portrait in oil, from the beginning of the last century, in the house of General George Mano)". The piece is inventoried in the catalogue "National Gallery", Museum of Art of the P.R.R., E.S.P.L.A., Bucharest at page 15. cat. 28. The artwork is reproduced in the catalogue "Romanian painting in images", Vasile Drăguț, Vasile Florea, Dan Grigorescu, Marin Mihalache, Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1970, on page 111. The artwork is reproduced on the inner cover of the magazine "Historical Shop", year III, no. 6, June 1969. The artwork is inventoried and reproduced in "Catalogue of the National Gallery. Painting. vol I", Paula Constantinescu, Ștefan Dițescu, Museum of Art of the R.S.R., Bucharest, 1975 at page LXXII, cat 174, respectively plate 174. The artwork is reproduced in the album "At the National Gallery. Romanian painting at the Art Museum of the Socialist Republic of Romania", Alexandru Cebuc, Bucharest on page 92. The work is mentioned in "The official artistic movement in Romania of the nineteenth century", Adrian-Silvan Ionescu, Noi Media Print, Bucharest, 2008 on page 24. The work is classified in the Treasury category of the National Cultural Heritage by the order of the Minister of Culture no. 2369 of 22.05.2014.

Lot.notes

On the reverse, inventory number of the National Museum of Art of Romania, GG 1537 and label, "1537, Logofeteasa Maria Dudescu, Mihail Töpler".

Dating

1810-1815

PROVENANCE

the collection of the Chief Officer Ioan (Iancu) Manu (1803-1874); the Gen. George Manu's collection (1833-1911); the collection of Constantin G. Manu (1871-1959); 1948, under the administration of the Alexandru Saint-Georges Museum; from 1949, the collection of the Museum of Art of the People's Republic of Romania, inv. 1547; from 2015, the collection of the descendants of Constantin G.Manu.

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