Gabriel von Max
Portrait of a Young Child
(probably the artist's daughter Ludmilla or one of his other children)
circa 1870s
oil on wood panel, framed
10 1/2 x 8 inches (frame 20 1/4 x 18 inches)
signed upper right: "Gab. Max"
The Daulton Collection
Provenance:
Katherine H. Mintz, San Francisco, 1979
Christie, Manson & Woods, NY, Sale 5062, May 1981
Discussion:
Gabriel von Max had three children: a daughter Ludmilla (1874-1961) and two sons, Corneille (1875-1924) and Colombo (1877-1970). This highly refined, sensitive portrait probably depicts Ludmilla or one of the artist's other children in infancy. For another portrait of Ludmilla at an early age, see: Aleš Filip and Roman Musil, eds., Gabriel von Max (1840-1915) (Prague: Arbor vitae, 2011), fig. 9, pg. 19; for a photograph of her in adulthood, see Filip and Musil, fig. 24, pg. 26.
