Lot details

Ismeretlen művész - szignó pontosan nem kivehető.

#29

The Face of Youth

Inventory no.616
The Face of Youth
Lot 29
Ismeretlen művész - szignó pontosan nem kivehető.7 images

Curators

Ács Érmes Károly

Ács Érmes Károly

curator

ermesprojekt@gmail.com

Ohnhaus Éva

Ohnhaus Éva

curator

eva.artdeco@gmail.com

Detailed description

Half-length female portrait, created on paper using mixed techniques of pastel, watercolor, and pencil. The model is seated in half-profile, her gaze slightly to the left, gazing into the distance. The face is shaped by soft, delicate shading and gradual tone transitions, with the skin tinted using rosy ochres and fine layering of cool grays. The hair is light brown, styled in finger-width, wavy strands, resembling a short bob hairstyle from the fashion of the era. A wide graphite gray headband runs across the forehead, ending in a large black silk bow on the left side; the shoulders are bare, and the setting is idealized. The background is neutral, painted with cloud-like bluish-green and brownish tones that brighten around the head in a halo-like manner. In the lower right, a date in burgundy brown ink and an unreadable mark starting with 'J.' is visible: 1921. The paper shows slight spots (foxing), detectable tone fading, and surface dirt; the frame is eclectic, gilded stucco, in the taste of the early 20th century. Style: academic-salon portrait, with echoes of the Secession; probable decades: late 1910s–1920s.

Key Details:

  • Soft pastel modeling of the face, graphite outlines

  • Short bob hairstyle and wide headband, large black bow

  • Neutral, finely painted background

  • Date mark and '1927' in the lower right

  • 41 × 27 cm paper, gilded historicizing frame

Author Notations

The creator's name is missing; the mark is unreadable. Based on style and historical parallels, the following artists may emerge as a broad, non-provenative circle:

  • Heinrich Knirr (active: 1880–1930s) — Munich academic portrait painter, soft modeled female heads, often with a pastel base.

  • Oskar Martin-Amorbach (1920–1940s) — idealized, finely toned female portraits, salon atmosphere, pastel and watercolor.

  • Lajos Márk (1890–1930s) — social portraits, elegant female figures, delicate drawing discipline.

  • Herman Lipót (1900–1960s) — drawing and pastel portraits, subdued color, middle-class models.

  • Vaszary János (1890–1930s) — decorative female heads, fashion-like accessories; an approach to the subject, although with more painterly brushwork.

  • Fritz Erler (1890–1930s) — German portrait and poster artist, ideal female facial types, soft tone construction.

  • Franz von Stuck's later circle (1900–1920s) — idealized female heads, dark accessories, emphasis on light and shadow.

  • Circle of anonymous Hungarian studio pastellists (1910–1930) — commercial-salon portraits, similar technique and setting.

The above names merely provide stylistic orientation; accurate author determination is possible through targeted reading of the sign and archival research.