François Joseph Kinsoen was a noted portrait painter and gained numerous commissions from the courts of Europe in the early nineteenth century. Under the influence of François Gérard, Kinsoen produced many portraits of elegant women during his career. In this portrait the rather natural pose and rustic background create a relaxed tone to an otherwise formal picture.
Holding a peacock feather fan, the sitter wears a Kashmir shawl with Paisley design and coral jewellery. These items illustrate not only a lady of fashion but also of wealth. The early nineteenth century saw a great trend for the exotic and particularly Indian designs such as those seen in the shawl. Luxurious fabrics and patterns which early European colonialists brought back from India were a must-have for rich and stylish ladies in the 1810s and 1820s.
- TitlePortrait of a German Princess
- Object numberB.M.305
- Collection
- Creator
- Production placeFrance
- School/styleFrench
- Object name
- Material
- Technique
- Dimensions
- Length: 112.4 cm
- Width: 93.3 cm
- Length: Frame 147 cm
- Width: Frame 123 cm