Albert Mosé
(1835 – 1903)
Lady with an Ermine, 1877
oil on canvas
78.5x63.3cm
MG-2138

The painting Lady with an Ermine from 1877 is regarded as one of Mosé’s finest portraits, though, in comparison with European trends of that period, it may be considered stylistically anachronistic. The realistic element of the Biedermeier portrait of a pretty young woman is softened in the manner of “noble” realism. The chromatic contrasts between the dark background and the woman’s dark hair, and the almost luminist blue dress with bright ermine fur trim, highlight Mosé’s talent and suggest the possibility of a more liberated artistic expression under different circumstances. The visible brushstrokes of thick impasto on the dress should be observed in this context. Consequently, it is important, as always, to consider the context in which the Varaždin painter was working. It was a period of modest cultural and artistic activity, marked by itinerant painters who occasionally stopped to produce “decorations for bourgeois homes” (M. Mirković, 1961).
Mosé was born in Varaždin and received his artistic education at the Vienna Academy, studying under professors aligned with the Nazarene movement. After completing his studies, he returned to Varaždin in 1857. He spent periods living in Zagreb, Đakovo, and Vienna, where he became a member of the Künstlerhaus in 1872. During his time in Zagreb (1875 - 1877), Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski introduced him to Franjo Rački and Josip Juraj Strossmayer, prominent figures in Croatian cultural life, who would support his painting career.

Text: Dajana Vlaisavljević, museum consultant of the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Translated by: Robertina Tomić
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb