Junge Frau, beim Schein einer Lampe nähend,

1823

Material / Technology / Carrier

Öl auf Leinwand

Dimensions of the object

40,3 x 34,2 cm

Displayed

Not on display

Department

19. Jahrhundert

Genre

Malerei

Inventory number

14603

Acquisition

1979 aus dem Kunsthandel erworben

Stock

Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Neue Pinakothek München

Citation

Georg Friedrich Kersting, Junge Frau, beim Schein einer Lampe nähend, 1823, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Neue Pinakothek München, URL: https://www.sammlung.pinakothek.de/en/artwork/M0xydkW4pl (Last updated on 10.09.2024)

This small painting of an interior nicely portrays Biedermeier bourgeois ideals. The simple household task is being performed carefully and conscientiously - alluded to by the bible lying on the windowsill. Nothing disturbs the young woman's concentration while she is sewing, which also holds true for the observer who is not distracted from this central motif. The walls of the lofty room are painted a warm green; the only adornment is drapery hanging from the ceiling. The lamplight shines directly, illuminating the young woman's field of vision; nothing disturbs the tranquillity of the scene. In 18th century genre painting Jean Baptiste Chardin was the first to introduce the motif of peaceful absorption in simple, "minor" tasks - a tradition that is unquestionably taken up in Kersting's painting.