This masterfully portrait watercolour of Princess Christine Colloredo-Mannsfeld (born Countess Clam-Gallas) and her daughter Wilhelmine was illustrated and described in the important auction cataloque "Collection Dr.X, paintings and miniatures",  by famous Leo Schidlof´s auctionshouse  Vienna, 12-19 october 1919, p.79-80.

Our extermely important watercolour  was  executed in 1840 by Franz Eybl (1806 - 1887), renowed Austrian painter and lithographer. .Also known is another portrait of Princess Christine Colloredo-Mannsfeld, as lithography by other prominent Viennese portrait painter Josef Kriehuber (1800-1876), as well as our watercolour dated 1840, on which the Princess was presented alone without daughter. For image of this Kriehuber's lithography see on-line web "Grand Ladies of Victorian Epoch" under the following link:

http://www.gogmsite.net/early_victorian_-_1837_-_18/1840-princess-colloredo-man.html

The author of our watercolour Franz Eybl born in Vienna in 1806. He was one of the leading genre masters and a very popular portrait painter in the society circles of Vienna. Entering the Vienna Academy in 1816 at the age of 10, he studied under Josef Moessmer, J. B. von Lampi. F. Caucig and Peter Krafft. With a talent for depicting nature and light he found a way from the classicism into a lively and individual genre painting. His talent also led him to portrait painting. Eybl started with portraits of small format and a fine finish becoming one of the masters of the portrait miniature prime-time in Austria. His genre paintings on the other hand awakened great interest and brought him fame at the Austrian Kunstverein (Art Association) exhibitions in the 1830s and hand-in-hand grew his reputation as portrait painter and lithograph to the end of his active years in the 1860s.

Provenance: famous Viennese Leo Schidlof´s auctionshouse, auction "Collection Dr.X, paintings and miniatures", hold 12-19 october 1919.

Literature: auction cataloque "Collection Dr.X, paintings and miniatures", by famous Leo Schidlof´s auctionshouse Vienna, 12-19 october 1919; Biographical Lexicon of Austrian Empire /in German: Kaiserturm von Österreich (sec.part, page 423, published in Vienna, 1857; article "Grand ladies", in on-line; Prof.H.Fuchs, Lexicon of Austrian artists, Vienna, 1975. Thieme/Becker "Lexicon of artists from antique to contemporary", Leipzig, 1999

Inscription: signed and dated 1840 lower right

Technique: watercolour on paper. Original period gold-plated frame.

Measurements: image w.9 3/4" x h.12 1/4 " ( 24,5 x 31.3 cm); framed w.13 3/4" x h.16 1/2" (35 x 42 cm)

Condition: in very good condition.