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Portrait of an Old Man in Profile (Count Traun?), c. 1896

Leopold Museum,
Vienna
Oil on cardboard
46×35.2×2.4 cm

Artists

  • Gustav Klimt

    (Baumgarten near Vienna/Vienna 1862–1918 Vienna)

Currently on display at OG4
While the title of the work Portrait of an Old Man in Profile (Count Traun?), which was handed down to us in reference works, would suggest a portrait commission, the identity of the depicted is not at all proven. Furthermore, the work was still owned by Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) at the time of his death, which makes it unlikely that the work was commissioned by a third party. It is thus highly probable that, rather than a portrait commission, the work is a character study Klimt created on his own initiative and interest. This assumption is further strengthened by the manner in which Klimt captured the outlines of the head, shown in strict profile, with a thin paint application and focused entirely on bringing out the distinctive facial features.

FS

Object data

Artist/author
  • Gustav Klimt
Title
Portrait of an Old Man in Profile (Count Traun?)
Date
c. 1896
Art movement
Historicism
Category
Painting
Material​/technique
Oil on cardboard
Dimensions
46×35.2×2.4 cm
Credit line
Leopold Museum, Vienna, Inv. 4145
Inventory access
Contributed to the Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung in 1994
Selection of Reference works
  • Gustav Klimt. Jahrhundertkünstler, hrsg. von Hans-Peter Wipplinger/Sandra Tretter, Wien 2018 (Ausst.-Kat. Leopold Museum, Wien, 22.06.2018–04.11.2018).
  • Gustav Klimt. Die Sammlung im Leopold Museum, hrsg. von Tobias G. Natter/Elisabeth Leopold, Ostfildern 2013 (Bestandskatalog des Leopold Museum: Band 1).
  • Tobias Natter: Gustav Klimt, Köln 2012.
  • Alfred Weidinger/Michaela Seiser u.a.: Gustav Klimt, München u.a. 2007.
  • Fritz Novotny/Johannes Dobai: Gustav Klimt, Salzburg 1967.
Catalogue raisonne
  • Novotny/Dobai 1967: 74
  • Natter 2012: 90
  • Weidinger/Seiser/Winkler 2007: 102
Keywords
man/boyportraitheadcollarnose

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Provenance

Provenance research
Leopold Museum i

Nachlass Gustav Klimt, Wien (1918); (1)
Alfred Spitzer, Wien (1918-1923); (2)
Hanna Spitzer, Wien / New York (1923-1977);
Auktion: 23.05.1977, Ketterer Kunst München, Auktion 21, Los 1061;
Dr. Rudolf Leopold, Wien (1977-1994); (3)
Leopold Museum-Privatstiftung, Wien (1994).

  1. Nachlassstempel »GUSTAV / KLIMT / NACHLASS« auf der Bildrückseite.
  2. Michael Wladika, Gustav Klimt. Bildnis eines alten Mannes im Profil (Graf Traun?), Dossier vom 31.12.2015, S. 6-8; Fritz Novotny / Johannes Dobai, Gustav Klimt, Salzburg 1967, S. 300, Nr. 74.
  3. Wladika, Dossier, S. 19
Decision of the Advisory Board (PDF)

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Search in collection

man/boyportraitheadcollarnose