19th Century oil painting portrait of a lady by Seifert

This skillfully-rendered portrait of a lady was painted by the acclaimed Czech-born artist, Alfred Seifert. The painting depicts a beautiful woman, with her auburn hair tied up in a bun, wearing a diaphanous piece of white clothing that slips off her right shoulder slightly. The lady lightly holds a pinkish-red rose in her right hand, and she gazes off into the distance to the viewer's left, a dreamy expression on her face. The scene is cropped, giving us a close-up view of the woman and creating a sense of intimacy. While the woman is cast in an idealised light, the brushstrokes are soft and naturalistic.

Alfred Seifert was a highly-skilled painter who was mainly active in Germany in the late 19th Century. Seifert largely produced portraits of women, often looking misty-eyed and thoughtful. This style of portrait became known as the 'Seifert type'. The artist was well received in his own time, with critics celebrating his carefully-composed paintings, with their attention to detail and harmonious colour schemes. This portrait of a lady is signed by the artist on the centre-right of the composition.

The oil painting is set in a beautiful gilt frame, which features scrolling foliage and flowers not dissimilar to that depicted in the portrait.