6034 - German or Swiss

German or Swiss 1737. The Love Letter. Oil on wood. 23.8 x 18.7 cm. Signed and dated lower left: “Marie E. ... / pincet ANO 1737.” The composition, executed with exquisite painterly skill, depicts a view into an interior furnished with a library. Seated at a desk is a young, elegant gentleman, dressed in the latest “à la turca” fashion in an Ottoman dressing gown (banyan), a soft cap, and red saffian leather slippers. While a slight smile plays on his lips and his cheeks are flushed with joyful anticipation, his hand glides with a quill across the paper, writing words to a beloved. Beside him stands his servant, ready with a sandbox to dry the ink. He has tucked his hat under his arm, ready to set out at once to deliver the letter. This small cabinet painting, with its attention to the finest details, is the work of a female painter active around 1737 whose first name was Marie. It may be a work by Marie Eleonore Radziwill, née Princess of Anhalt-Dessau (1671–1756), who was also active as a miniaturist and draftswoman. - Please ask for condition reports for the lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.