Extreme high qualitative portrait of the elegant lady, due to the original antique German label on the backside of stretcher, depicting Franzisca Freiin von Schmidburg (b.1814) , wife of Franz Freih. von Kalchberg, the Secret service and Under- Secretary of Austrian State (in German Geheimrat und Unterstaatssekretär ). married with him on 16.11. 1839 . She was the daughter of Josef Camillos F. von Schmidburg and Magd.Freim. von Bom. In the first line of this original label inscribed in German the name of the author of this portrait: " Gemalt v.(von) Moser"(in English: "painted by Moser"). On the base of our research we came to the conclusion , that our portrait was executed by one of the best Styrian portrait painters of the Biedermeier Epoch Ernst Christian Moser (1815 - Graz - 1867). Also we researched that the other painting by Ernst Moser , the portrait of Franzisca `s husband Franz Freih.von Kalchberg , was situated in 1840 in the Museum Johanneum in Graz and today is in the exhibition of the White Hall l of the Grazer Castle .( source: Thieme/Becker " General Artist Lexicon; in on-line: www.museum-joanneum.at/de/neue_galerie/sammlung-3 ) Photo of this portrait of Franz Kalchberg can be find under following link:http://www.verwaltung.steiermark.at/cms/beitrag/10194152/5105765/ Ernst Christian Moser was historical, genre and portrait painter (as noted by Thieme/Becker. " ..one of the best portrait painters of Styria"). He studied at the Viennese Fine Arts Academy , where followed Franz Waldmueller (due to the Boetticher Lexicon) , since 1840 he became the drawing professor of the Landeskunstschule in Graz. His works were hardly influenced from the portrait art by renowed Josef Danhauser. This influence is very recognizably by the comparison of our portrait with famous woman portraits of Danhauser. Works by Ernst Christian Moser situated : in the Styrian State Gallery in Graz, Museum Francisco-Carolinum in Linz, University of Graz, Castle Waidhofen a.d. Thaya and in the numerous noble private collections in Austria and Germany.

Literature: F.v.Boetticher " Painting works of 19th century ", 1898; Thieme/Becker "Lexicon of artists from antique to contemporary", Leipzig, 1999; Prof.H.Fuchs, Lexicon of Austrian artists, Vienna, 1975; in on-line: web sites of Museum Johanneum in Graz and of Administration in Graz.

Inscription: original antique label with the name of the artist and the name of the sitter on the backside of stretcher.

Technique: oil on canvas. Magnificent original period gold-plated frame .

Measurements: unframed w 26 1/3" x h 31 1/2 " (50,5 x 61 cm), framed w 34 3/4 " x h 36 " (67 x 77,5 cm)

Condition: in good condition.