Artwork
Self Portrait
Self Portrait is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Anna Dorothea Therbusch. It dates from 1740 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Anna Dorothea Therbusch’s self‑portrait, executed in oil in 1740, presents the artist at nineteen years of age. The painting belongs to the Rococo period and is part of the Statens Museum for Kunst’s collection. It is one of roughly two hundred works that have survived from Therbusch’s prolific output.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas features Therbusch herself, rendered with a light brown coiffure of soft curls, a black hat accented by red feathers, and a vivid red dress that falls loosely over one shoulder. The composition emphasizes her youthful confidence and the conventions of portraiture that she employed throughout her career.
Technique & Style
Therbusch applies gentle shadows and smooth brushwork to model the face, giving the skin a subtle luminosity, especially on the cheeks. The handling of light on the hat’s rim and the dress’s folds demonstrates a restrained use of chiaroscuro, typical of Rococo portraiture’s delicate modeling.
History & Provenance
Therbusch, a Prussian‑born painter known for her portraiture, produced at least eighty‑five documented portraits during her lifetime. This self‑portrait, created early in her career, has remained in public ownership and is now housed in Denmark’s national gallery, the Statens Museum for Kunst.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Anna Dorothea Therbusch (born Anna Dorothea Lisiewski, Polish: Anna Dorota Lisiewska, 23 July 1721 – 9 November 1782) was a prominent Rococo painter born in the Kingdom of Prussia.
