Portrait of the Countess of Castiglione from Série des Roses

Artist Pierre-Louis Pierson (French, 1822 - 1913)

Date1895

MediumAlbumen cabinet card

DimensionsImage and sheet: 5 15/16 × 3 15/16 inches (15.06 × 9.98 cm)
Mount: 6 3/8 × 4 1/4 inches (16.21 × 10.8 cm)

Credit LineGift of the Hall Family Foundation

Object number2017.68.139

Signednone

Inscribednone

Markingsnone

On View

Not on view

Collections

Photography

Terms

DescriptionPortrait of woman dressed in a long off-the-shoulder gown with strands of pearls and an embellished headdress. She looks into a mirror with an intricately carved wooden frame and stand.Gallery Label

Gallery Label

The Countess of Castiglione became reclusive with age, rumored to only leave her home at night, hidden behind veils. Social chroniclers of the time claimed that she removed all mirrors from her home to avoid her appearance; however, this portrait seems to contradict her alleged displeasure. Taken toward the end of her life, the countess admires her reflection in the mirror, donning a youthful blond wig elaborately decorated with roses.

Provenance

Purchased from Photogaphs, Sotheby's, London, May 10, 2001, lot 357 by Howard Stein (1926-2011) , New York, NY, 2001;
His gift to The Joy of Giving Foundation, New York, NY;
Purchased at their sale The Odyssey of Collecting: Photographs from Joy of Giving Something, Phillips, New York, NY, October 3, 2017, lot 125 by The Hall Family Foundation, Kansas City, MO, 2017;
Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2017.

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