Oil on canvas, relined
Germany, circa 1800
Friederike Julie Lisiewska (1772-1856) attributed to – German Painter
The portraits were once attributed to the artist by Busse Kunst Dokumentation GmbH, Wiesbaden, expertise dated 30.11.77
Comparable portraits by Lisewska are now held in the Staatliches Museum Schwerin
Good condition
Overall dimensions, framed: 77.5 x 64 cm
Provenance: German private collection; acquired in the 1960s
Two graceful portrait counterparts of the royal couple rendered in fine brushwork

These two portraits are attributed to the German painter Friederike Julie Lisiewska (1772-1856) and depict the Grand Duke Friedrich Franz I of Mecklenburg Schwerin and his wife. Friedrich Franz I (1756-1837), here in uniform decorated with a red sash and orders, was the reigning Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1785 onwards and later Grand Duke of Mecklenburg. On 31 May 1775 he married Luise Princess of Saxe-Gotha (1756-1808). Lisiewskas father was a court painter to the dukes Friedrich and Friedrich Franz I. in Ludwigslust and Lisiewska herself created several portraits of the ducal family members. A portrait of the Grand Duke, which the artist painted in 1799, is held in Staatliches Museum Schwerin.



The paintings are both in good condition. The canvases of both paintings have been relined and show very slight pressure marks caused by the stretcher. The sitters show a few retouchings to the faces. The duke’s portrait with a restoration in the right background with a patch of canvas attached to the reverse for backing. The ladies’s portrait with a minor pinhole at the upper edge. The frame shows signs of wear. The stretcher frames each measure 68 x 54.5 cm. The framed works measure 77.5 x 64 cm each.



Friederike Julie Lisiewska (1772-1856)

Friederike Lisiewska Julie was born in Dessau in 1772. As the daughter of the court painter Christoph Friedrich Reinhold Lisiewski (1725-1795) she came from a well-known family of artists from the 18th century. Early on, she created portraits of the duchess of Mecklenburg, at whose court her father was employed. From 1792 onwards a scholarship from the ducal couple allowed Lisiewska to become a student of Bernhard Rode in Berlin. Eventually, she was admitted to the Prussian Academy of Arts. By 1810 she regularly participated in exhibitions at the Academy. Lisiewska mainly worked in Berlin and West Mecklenburg. She often sent her paintings to the ducal court and received donations in return. In 1838 and 1840 she again took part in exhibitions at the Academy, during which period she created mostly genre scenes. A self-portrait, which she showed at the Academy in 1822, is now held in the Germanic National Museum in Nuremberg.