Seated Lady, Her Head Supported on Her Right Hand. Study for Portrait of Friedericke Maria Beer, 1915/16

This work on paper is part of a series of studies for Gustav Klimt’s (1862–1918) Portrait of Friederike Maria Beer. No other portrait by Klimt comes with such precise documentation of the duration of its execution: Klimt first met Friederike Maria Beer in November 1915, and in February 1916 the commissioner received the finished painting. Strobl identified the studies that show the model seated as the earliest drawings, likely created in November 1915. Among them is the present drawing which – along with Standing Lady in an Overcoat with a Fur Collar – is one of the two studies for this portrait housed today by the Leopold Museum. The present preliminary drawing is clearly a quickly jotted down compositional sketch which reveals Klimt’s mastery in abbreviation. The artist positioned the few lines with such confidence that the contours appear formally and spatially convincing despite the many fragmentations and omissions.

FS