The Portrait of Marie Kerner von Marilaun as a Bride

A Rediscovered Early Work by Gustav Klimt

Abstract

This article describes the discovery of a previously unknown early work by the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt. Another discovery made this attribution possible: that of unpublished letters written by Klimt to the leading Austrian botanist Anton Kerner von Marilaun, who commissioned the painting. As Klimt’s painted oeuvre of around 250 works is relatively small, finding a completely unknown and previously undocumented painting is an extremely rare occurrence. Thanks to these letters and to further identified sources, the genesis of the painting—a portrait of Kerner’s wife Marie as a bride—is excellently documented. We also gain a more precise impression of Klimt’s working method during this phase of his career. The article begins by describing the circumstances that led to the discovery of the painting. First, a content analysis contextualizes the most important information from these letters, relating this commission to well-known examples of Klimt’s early work. The client and the subject of the portrait are also introduced in more detail. By addressing contradictory information found in various sources regarding the subject’s identity and the dating of the work, the article goes on to offer further details about the painting’s creation. A concluding stylistic analysis positions the painting in the wider context of the artist’s existing early oeuvre.