Description
Portrait of a Lady is Klimt’s quiet, dark study of a young woman in strict profile: she sits in a black, high-necked dress, her hair pinned up high, her hands resting in her lap, against a warm ochre and golden-brown ground. The original is a pastel, a soft drawing in coloured chalks. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas, in eight upright sizes or to your own measurement, and send you a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.
| Title: | Portrait of a Lady |
| Other titles: | Porträt einer Dame · Portret dame · Ritratto di una signora |
| Painter: | Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) |
| Year painted: | Not confirmed (an early portrait, before the Golden Period) |
| Original size: | Not confirmed |
| Original technique: | Pastel |
| Painting style: | Early Klimt, before the Vienna Secession and the Golden Period |
| Located at: | Not confirmed |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas after the pastel original, eight upright sizes or made to measure |
Portrait of a Lady – Gustav Klimt
What is shown?
A young woman sits turned strictly to the left, so that we see only her profile. Her dark hair is pinned up high, with a small light ornament in it. Her face is pale, the nose straight, the mouth barely smiling, and her gaze goes somewhere beyond the edge of the painting, past us. The black dress with its high collar melts into the dark shadow of the lower half, from which only her hands, resting calmly in her lap, rise into the light.
The background is warm ochre and golden brown, laid in with vertical strokes that recall a curtain or light falling into a room. Between the bright ground and the black figure there is an almost graphic contrast. At the lower right the signature GUSTAV KLIMT is written in two lines. The whole surface is soft, grainy and velvety, as is typical of pastel.
What is a pastel, and why does it matter here?
Pastel means working with sticks of pure pigment held together by very little binder. The artist draws with them and blends the colour with a finger or a stump, which gives a velvety, matt surface without the sheen of oil. Pastel is usually laid on paper or card and is fragile: the powder can come away when touched, which is why museums keep pastels behind glass and in low light. There is more on the technique in the Wikipedia article on pastel.
In this portrait the technique is not a side issue. The soft, grainy strokes give the ground its warm glow and the face a tenderness that a hard outline would never achieve. That is why we took particular care not to lose that softness in our oil version, as the section on how it is made explains.
What does the painting mean?
The strict profile is an old way of making a portrait, familiar from Renaissance medals and paintings. The woman does not look at us, so she stays withdrawn and mysterious: we know about her only what her posture shows. She sits upright and still, her hands in her lap, which gives an impression of composure and dignity.
The contrast between the black dress and the warm ground is what holds the painting together. The dark figure is almost a silhouette; only the face, the neck and the hands stay light, as if a lamp were shining on them. This reserve is typical of Klimt’s early portraits of women, before the following decade in which he surrounded his sitters with gold and ornament.
What do we know about the original, and what not?
What is certain is that the work is signed by Gustav Klimt, the signature at the lower right being clearly visible, and that it is a pastel. Strict profiles of ladies in dark dresses were a theme of Klimt’s early years, before his Golden Period. You can read more about the painter’s path in the Wikipedia article on Gustav Klimt.
What we cannot confirm: the exact year, the size of the original, where it is today and who the sitter was. So we do not state any of these, not even in the table. We sell the painting for what it shows: a calm, elegant profile in dark and golden-brown tones that suits any room with a little quiet in it.
Portrait of a Lady or Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi)?
We sell two Klimt works with similar titles, and they are easy to mix up. This one, Portrait of a Lady, is an early pastel: a woman in strict profile, in black, before a warm ochre ground. The other, Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi), is a much later oil painting of 1916–1917 from the gallery in Piacenza, which was stolen in 1997 and only found again in 2019.
If you want a calm, almost monochrome painting with an elegant silhouette, choose Portrait of a Lady. If you prefer a lively face looking over her shoulder and a colourful background, choose the Ricci Oddi. Portraits of women from his mature years are also among Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II and Judith I.
How is our hand-painted version made?
Ours is painted by hand in oil on canvas after the pastel original. The painter first draws in the profile, the line of the neck and the position of the hands, then lays the warm ground in several thin, translucent layers so that it gains depth. The black dress is built up gradually so it does not turn flat but keeps soft passages into brown.
To keep the velvety character of the pastel, the painter lays the vertical strokes of the ground with an almost dry brush that leaves a grainy trace, and softens the edges at the end. Face and hands get the most attention: the pale skin, a faint flush on the cheek and the small ornament in the hair. There is no gold in this painting; the warmth of the ground comes from a mixture of ochres and browns.
Every painting is a hand-painted copy made for your order, so no two are ever quite the same. A printed oil painting reproduction cannot show the texture of the strokes and the depth of the layers that you see on the canvas from close up.
Which size for which wall?
Short answer: 60 x 110 cm for most walls, 40 x 70 or 50 x 90 cm for a narrow wall or a hallway, and 80 x 150 cm or more for a tall wall above a chest of drawers or in a stairwell. These are the eight upright sizes: 30 x 55, 40 x 70, 50 x 90, 60 x 110, 80 x 150, 90 x 170, 100 x 180 and 120 x 220 cm.
All of them are close to the proportion of the original, which is almost twice as tall as it is wide, so the profile and the hands stay in the same relation. Because the painting is upright and calm, it fits nicely between two windows, beside a door or on a narrow bedroom wall. With its dark tones it needs good light, ideally from the side. A painting for the living room should take up about two thirds of the width of the furniture below it; in an upright format it can be a little narrower.
Hang it with the centre of the canvas about 150 cm above the floor, and 20 to 30 cm above a chest of drawers or a sofa.
Custom size, stretcher and frame
If you need a different size, for example for a particular alcove, we paint it to measure. Send us the width and height you want and we will quote a price and a lead time. Every painting we make is stretched over a wooden stretcher and ready to hang.
For the moulding, use our 3D application: it shows every one of our frame profiles on this subject, so you can compare gold, silver, black, white and natural wood before deciding – the application is for choosing the frame only. If you would like to see how the painting will look on your own wall, that is our separate room placement service. A narrow dark wood or an antiqued gold frame suits the dark dress and the warm ground.
Delivery and guarantee
Every painting is made to order in our studio, so allow 15 to 45 days depending on the size you choose. We ship it stretched and protected for transport, framed if you chose a frame, across the EU with no customs. Before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work to approve. Our returns policy applies to every order.
Every other Klimt work we paint is in the Gustav Klimt gallery, and there is more about the painter in our ten facts about Klimt. If the painting is a gift and you are unsure of the size, there is a wall art voucher: the recipient chooses the size and the subject.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the woman in Portrait of a Lady?
We do not know. The sitter’s name has not been confirmed, so we do not give one, not even as a guess. What we see is a young woman in strict profile, in a black high-necked dress, with her hair pinned up high. Precisely because she is unknown, the painting works as a portrait of a mood and of elegance rather than a likeness of one person.
Where is the original Portrait of a Lady?
We have no confirmed information on where the original is today, so we do not state it. What is certain is that it is signed by Gustav Klimt and that it is a pastel. With us you buy the painting for what it shows, and we paint it for you by hand in oil on canvas. If the history of the original matters most to you, choose a Klimt work with a known location.
Is Portrait of a Lady a pastel or an oil painting?
The original is a pastel, drawn in coloured chalks, which is why its surface is soft, grainy and velvety. Our version is oil on canvas, applied by hand with a brush. We imitate the velvety look of the ground with an almost dry brush and thin layers. Oil is more durable than pastel, so our painting does not need to hang behind glass.
What year is Portrait of a Lady from?
The exact year has not been confirmed, so we do not state one. By its style it is an early work, made before Klimt’s Golden Period, when he drew ladies in strict profile and dark dresses, without gold or ornament. The signature GUSTAV KLIMT is written in two lines at the lower right and is clearly visible.
What is the difference between Portrait of a Lady and Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi)?
Portrait of a Lady is an early pastel of a woman in strict profile, in a black dress before a warm ochre ground. Portrait of a Lady (Ricci Oddi) is a later oil painting of 1916–1917 showing a woman who looks at us over her shoulder, famous for its theft in 1997. They are two different works, and you can order both from us.
In which sizes can I order Portrait of a Lady?
There are eight upright sizes: 30 x 55, 40 x 70, 50 x 90, 60 x 110, 80 x 150, 90 x 170, 100 x 180 and 120 x 220 cm. All are close to the proportion of the original. For most walls we recommend 60 x 110 cm. If you need a different size, we paint it to measure and quote the price and lead time in advance.
Which room suits Portrait of a Lady?
Portrait of a Lady shows best in a calm room with good side light, such as a bedroom, a study, a library or a hallway. As an upright, dark painting it fits nicely on a narrow wall, between windows or beside a door. On a light wall the dark silhouette stands out; on a warm coloured wall it blends softly into its surroundings.
Can I buy Portrait of a Lady as a print?
No, we sell Portrait of a Lady only as a painting that the painter makes by hand in oil on canvas, to order and in the size you choose. A print on canvas or paper cannot show the texture of the strokes or the depth of the layers. Before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished painting to approve, so you know exactly what you will get.
Is Portrait of a Lady a good gift?
Yes, Portrait of a Lady makes a good gift for someone who loves calm, elegant paintings and darker tones. As a canvas painting made by hand for one order, it is personal and cannot be repeated exactly. If you are unsure which size will suit, give a voucher instead, so the recipient can choose the size and the subject.
- Subject: a young woman in strict profile, in a black dress, before a warm ochre ground.
- Original: pastel, signed GUSTAV KLIMT lower right; year, size and location not confirmed.
- Ours: a Klimt reproduction painted by hand in oil on canvas, in eight upright sizes or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: you receive a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.
