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Joseph Oppenheimer“Portrait of a Lady in White, c. 1905-10” Impressionist Edwardian Belle ÉpoqueCirca 1905-10
Circa 1905-10
$9,500
£7,245.94
€8,251.37
CA$13,350.40
A$14,560.48
CHF 7,713.16
MX$174,559.54
NOK 98,231.41
SEK 89,825.33
DKK 61,645.84
About the Item
“Portrait of a Lady in White, c. 1905-10” by Joseph Oppenheimer (1876-1966).
An exceptional portrait by Oppenheimer of a spirited young woman turned in half-profile. This work exemplifies the artist’s mature early style: fluid yet precise brushwork, a refined palette, and an eye for capturing personality rather than mere likeness. The sitter is adorned in a flowing white gown and wide straw hat, her features animated by a vibrant complexion and expressive gaze. Rendered with both elegance and spontaneity, the portrait encapsulates a moment of Edwardian grace and joie de vivre.
Oppenheimer, a cosmopolitan portraitist of German-Jewish descent, trained in Munich, Paris, Rome, and New York before establishing a distinguished career in England and Germany. By the time this portrait was painted, he was already known for portraying members of aristocracy, business elites, and intellectuals across Europe. His facility with brushwork, particularly evident here in the bold handling of fabric and background foliage, speaks to his training in the Munich Secession and his later immersion in British painterly traditions. This composition suggests the influence of both John Singer Sargent and Giovanni Boldini, while remaining unmistakably Oppenheimer’s own in character and lightness of touch.
The model’s lively expression and attire speak to Oppenheimer’s keen sensitivity to social nuance and modern aesthetics. Her confident demeanor, softly diffused lighting, and the dappled effect of tree branches above her suggest a plein air influence, even if executed in the studio. The portrait draws the viewer into a world of cultivated leisure, one shaped by the elegance of the Belle Époque.
This work is oil on canvas and is signed in the lower left. It is housed in a wonderful antique frame with a few inscriptions/labels on the reverse.
Size:
33 inches tall by 25 inches wide (painting)
39.75 inches tall by 32 inches wide by 2.5 inches deep (frame)
Provenance:
(Possibly, per chalk inscription on stretcher) Pascal M. Gatterdam, NYC;
Estate of Peter Sichel (1922-2025), NYC;
Acquired from the above
About the artist:
Joseph Oppenheimer was born in Würzburg, Germany on July 13th, 1876. From an early age his whole life was focused on art. At 15, before being old enough to enroll in the Munich Academy of Art, he left school and began studying with some of the foremost German painters such as Fehr. Perhaps the impetus for this was his chance meeting with The Iron Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, at the age of 14 when they both stayed at the same spa hotel in Bad Kissingen. Joseph did a sketch of Bismarck and gave it to him. Bismarck returned the drawing with a handwritten note of congratulations, which Oppenheimer kept with him the rest of his life.
At 16, he was admitted to the Munich Academy. From 19 to 25, he studied in Rome, Naples, London and New York and had also travelled as far afield as Egypt with his uncle August Schwabacher and his cousin Hedwig. During this trip he met and painted a portrait of Cecil Rhodes. In the USA, where he had a studio for six months in 1900-01, he painted many beautiful scenes and city scapes as well as well-known people, including Generals MacDonald Moody and Grenville M. Dodge, and spent time in Lake George with the famous photographer Alfred Stieglitz. He painted members of the family of art dealer and patron Asher Wertheimer, the same family who had also sat for John Singer Sargent. He befriended Sargent, as well as James Whistler, and was able to persuade them to take part in the first Berlin Secession - the German Impressionist Exhibition – 1899-1902. He was chosen to paint a portrait of Richard Canfield, who was also being painted by Whistler at that time.
Oppenheimer had a studio, the Pheasantry, on King’s Rd. in Chelsea, London starting in 1896. He taught at the London School of Arts and became a member of the famous Chelsea Arts Club. He also spent much time and exhibited in Germany, and also had a studio in Berlin in 1902 for a few months. He was promoted by such famous art dealers as Paul Cassirer.
In 1907 he was elected a member of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers and agreed to teach art at the London School of Art.
In 1908, when he married, gave up his London studio, and moved to Berlin. He never gave up his love for England, the English countryside and the English people, He and his wife honeymooned near Henley, on the Thames, and they spent part of every year in England. He was especially fond of the Thames River and painted many pictures especially of Henley, Surbiton, the grand English country Manors and English scenery, interior scenes and London itself.
Both in England and in Germany Oppenheimer became more and more renowned for his paintings and especially his portraits. Famous men and women, and especially beautiful ladies from High Society throughout Europe, but especially in Germany and England, lined up to be painted, even during the German economic recession. Many of his most successful works graced the covers of the ladies' magazines in both countries. He exhibited at the Royal Academy and at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, becoming a member of the latter, allowing him to use R.P. after his name (he was offered Doctorates many times and even a Professorship, but refused them all). He did however accept an Honourable Mention from the International Exhibition of the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburg, a gold medal at the 10th Munich International Exhibition in 1910, and a bronze medal at the Barcelona International Exhibition.
At the same time as his many portrait commissions - including Albert Einstein in 1931 - he was a prolific sketcher and a painter of landscapes and flowers.
Much of Joseph Oppenheimer’s portraiture fame came from his unique style of combining close observation and faithful reproduction of a sitter’s features with a looser, more impressionistic approach to the treatment of the model’s clothing and of the background.
Condition: Very good overall condition. Recently professionally cleaned. Unlined. Original stretcher. Stable craquelure commensurate with age, including some drying cracks. Minor scattered touch up. Antique frame with scattered losses and wear commensurate with age. It is ready to be displayed and enjoyed!
All photographs are taken in a well-lit environment using studio lights (set to a cooler temperature) to reveal as much detail as possible. Colors can vary slightly depending on the temperature and strength of your lighting.
- Creator:Joseph Oppenheimer (1876 - 1966, German)
- Creation Year:Circa 1905-10
- Dimensions:Height: 39.75 in (100.97 cm)Width: 32 in (81.28 cm)Depth: 2.5 in (6.35 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement Style:
- Period:
- Condition:Very good overall condition. Recently professionally cleaned. Unlined. Original stretcher. Stable craquelure commensurate with age, including some drying cracks. Minor scattered touch up. Antique frame with scattered losses and wear.
- Gallery Location:Yardley, PA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2911217338242
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