This lot is subject to Artist's Resale right
Joseph Karl STIELER
Portrait of Katerina Botsari, c.1841
On the reverse infrared photography revealed, beneath a later canvas layer, inscriptions in the handwriting of Joseph Stieler. These inscriptions reference the depicted subject (Katerina Botsari), her birthplace (Ioannina), her birth year as circa (1818-1820), and her father’s name (Markos Botsaris). Additionally, the artist signs his name and indicates that the work was created in Munich in 1841. The final line of the revealed inscriptions briefly notes ‘Nymphenburg 184271 x 57 cm91 x 78.5 cm (with frame)
Provenance
Private Collection, Cyprus. Purchased in 1983 from Sotheby’s.
Estimate
€ 90 000 – 180 000
Sold for € 247 800.00
The final sale price includes buyer's premium, VAT and artist's resale right (if applicable)
Notes
Katerina “Rosa” Botsari (Greek: Κατερίνα Μπότσαρη) was born in 1818, 1819 or 1820 with 1819 being the most prominently accepted year.
Born to the prominent Souliot Botsaris family, Katerina was the daughter of Chrysoula Kalogirou and Markos Botsaris, the famed chieftain and revered hero of the Greek War of Independence who died in 1823.
When the Greek Revolution broke out, Katerina was in Ioannina and she and other women were captured by the authorities and placed under captivity within the Ottoman Empire. During this period, she was put under the protection of upper-class Ottoman women and was so well-liked that one of them wanted to adopt her. In the end, after a prisoner exchange, Katerina was returned to her family.
After the marriage of King Otto of Greece to Amalia in 1836, a household was formed for Queen Amalia, and Katerina Botsari as the daughter of such an eminent Greek was appointed to the post of Lady-in-Waiting. She was one of few Greek courtiers in the court of Otto and Amalia, which was mostly composed of Germans before 1843.
As lady-in-waiting, Katerina accompanied Amalia on her official visits to the royal courts of various European Countries. In 1844, she was honoured by the king of Bavaria, Ludwig I, with a Golden Cross. During her stay in Bavaria, she won the admiration of the public, not only for her beauty but also for being the daughter of the famous Markos Botsaris.
King Ludwig I, also impressed by her beauty, commissioned the painter Joseph Stieler to paint her portrait wearing the “Amalia” costume that Amalia the first queen of the newly established and independent Greek State established as court clothing and national women’s costume. The portrait of Katerina Botsari painted c.1841 now resides at the Gallery of Beauties, in Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, along with another 35 portraits of beautiful women from the nobility and middle classes of Munich painted between 1827 and 1850 mostly by Joseph Karl Stieler.
Katerina Botsari, left her service of court in 1844 when she married General Prince Georgios Caradja. She died in Athens in 1875.
NOTE
Painted by Joseph Karl Stieler around the same time, this artwork represents another version of the portrait of Katerina Botsari, which is currently displayed in the Gallery of Beauties at Nymphenburg Palace in Munich. As with many artists of that period, including Joseph Karl Stieler, it was common practice to create more than one version of the same subject.
Scientific Analysis Report- The lot is accompanied by a “Scientific Analysis Report” conducted in October 2023 by the APAC Laboratories, Nicosia, Cyprus.
During the analysis, the Infrared photography revealed inscriptions hidden beneath a later canvas layer, which are not visible to the naked eye. These inscriptions reference the depicted subject (Katerina Botsari), her origins (Ioannina), her birth years (1818-1820), and her father, Markos Botsaris. Infrared imaging also unveiled an inscription identifying the painter, J. Stieler, along with information indicating that the work was created in Munich in 1841. The final line of the revealed inscriptions briefly notes ‘Nymphenburg 1842.
“It is also important to mention that, following a comparative study of the handwriting in the revealed inscriptions, it is concluded that it matches perfectly with the handwriting of the painter Joseph Stieler.” The full report is available upon request.
Joseph Karl Stieler (1 November 1781 – 9 April 1858) was a German painter. From 1820 until 1855. He worked as royal court painter of the Bavarian kings. He is known for his Neoclassical portraits, especially for the Gallery of Beauties at Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, as well as his emblematic portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Stieler worked mainly in the service of the Bavarian court. His painted portraits in Schloss Nymphenburg, the Schönheiten galerie, and the so-called Gallery of Beauties, were commis sioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Stieler painted the portraits of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Madame Mère, Amalia of Greece, Katerina Botsari, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling, Johann Ludwig Tieck, and Alexander von Humboldt amongst others