Who painted Portrait of a Young Woman?

Portrait of a Young Woman was painted by Charles de Steuben in 1843.

Where can I see Portrait of a Young Woman?

Portrait of a Young Woman is held by Hermitage Museum.

What movement is Portrait of a Young Woman?

Portrait of a Young Woman is associated with Biedermeier.

Can I buy a print of Portrait of a Young Woman?

Museum-quality prints of Portrait of a Young Woman are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Portrait of a Young Woman

Charles de Steuben , 1843

Portrait of a Young Woman is an oil painting by the Biedermeier artist Charles de Steuben. It dates from 1843 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1843 by Charles de Steuben, a German‑born artist who worked in France during the Romantic period, this oil painting presents a single female sitter. Executed in the Biedermeier aesthetic, the work is catalogued in the State Hermitage Museum’s collection and exemplifies the intimate portraiture typical of the era.

Subject & Meaning

The composition features a young woman seated on a stone balcony, her dark hair gathered back and accented by a small flower behind her ear. She wears a white dress with lace‑trimmed sleeves, an orange shawl draped over her shoulders, and holds a tiny bird in one hand, suggesting themes of delicacy and perhaps the fleeting nature of youth.

Technique & Style

Steuben employs a smooth, luminous handling of paint, allowing the folds of the dress and the shadows on the face to appear softly glowing. The background merges muted greens, blues, and grays into an indistinct landscape, while subtle chiaroscuro models the figure, creating a gentle contrast between light and dark.

History & Provenance

After its completion, the portrait entered private collections before being acquired by the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, where it remains on display. Its provenance reflects the 19th‑century movement of works by French‑trained artists into major Russian institutions.

Context

The painting aligns with Biedermeier sensibilities that favored domestic tranquility and refined elegance, contrasting with the more dramatic Romantic subjects of the period. Steuben’s background as a French Romantic yet his adoption of this style illustrates the cross‑cultural artistic exchanges of early‑mid‑19th‑century Europe.

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Artist & collection

Artist

Charles de Steuben

Charles Auguste Guillaume Steuben (German: Carl August Wilhelm von Steuben; April 18, 1788 – November 21, 1856), also Charles de Steuben, was a German-born French Romantic painter and lithographer active from the Napoleonic to Second…