{"product_id":"antique-biedermeier-oil-portrait-amalia-catharina-jung-early-19th-century","title":"Antique Biedermeier Portrait, Inscribed Amalia Jung, 19th Century","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eA pencil inscription on the back of this Biedermeier portrait reads, as near as I can make it out, “Amalia Jung, geb. Becker.” The woman it names looks out from a dark ground in a lace-edged bonnet tied under her chin, with a collar worked in tiny star flowers and a dry, faintly amused expression. The painter is unknown. The gilt frame has a stepped crest above and a scrolled cartouche below.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Artist | Unidentified\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Signature | Unsigned\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Medium | Oil on canvas\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Subject | Portrait of an older woman in a lace bonnet and dark dress\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Origin | Central European, likely German\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Age | Early to mid 19th century\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Canvas Size | 10.8 in. W x 13.6 in. H\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Frame Size | 15.0 in. W x 26.8 in. H\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Format | Vertical portrait in a shaped frame with stepped crest and lower cartouche\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Frame | Gilt gesso frame with rope and acanthus moldings, a separate stepped crest and a lower cartouche with a raised tablet\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]School or Movement | Biedermeier. The middle-class style of German-speaking Central Europe from about 1815 to 1848, centered on domestic life rather than court or grand subjects. Portraits of the period favor plain backgrounds, direct likeness, and close attention to lace, collars, and other small textile details. This sitter is shown in exactly that manner.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Support | Oil on canvas, relined, on stretchers\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Inscription | Pencil on the paper-covered backing, in German script, apparently reading “Amalia Jung, geb. Becker.” The abbreviation is the German for “née.” One word between the surname and “geb.” is not legible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Marks | Impressed crown mark on the reverse of the frame crest, unidentified\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[d]Sitter | Named by the inscription. A woman of that name, Amalia Catharina Jung, née Becker (1782 to 1850), wife of the Nassau ironworks owner Johann Jakob Jung, is documented in German state biographical records. That this portrait shows her rests on the inscription alone, which is in pencil on a backing that could have been added or replaced at any date.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e[condition]\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe canvas has been relined and has areas of overpainting. The extent of the overpainting has not been mapped. The surface shows discoloration and craquelure consistent with age, fine tick-like cracks along the upper edge, and a faint horizontal line near the top of the canvas. The white lace of the bonnet and bow has small losses and flecking, and there is light scattered speckling across the dark ground. The dark dress shows scuffing and abrasion. The paint film is stable in the photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe frame is gilt gesso and shows age and use. The crest has a crack through the central oval and a further crack across the upper left, and the lower cartouche has a vertical crack at the left join and a crack in the lower right scroll. The gilding is rubbed at the high points with dark showing through, with small losses and chips to the gilding and gesso, most noticeable at the corner leaves and around the lower cartouche. The crest and cartouche are separate stepped pieces fitted to the main frame, with the joins visible. The frame has not been confirmed as original to the painting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eOn the reverse, the backing is paper-covered board with chips and tears along the edges and an old nail visible at the top. The crest board is painted dark olive, carries the impressed crown mark, and there is a metal hanging ring. Please review all photographs closely, as they form part of this description.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Austyn Marie Design","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51899913044246,"sku":"ENM-20012","price":1450.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0896\/4623\/5926\/files\/October2026-12651.jpg?v=1791653584","url":"https:\/\/austyn-marie.myshopify.com\/products\/antique-biedermeier-oil-portrait-amalia-catharina-jung-early-19th-century","provider":"Austyn Marie Design","version":"1.0","type":"link"}