Franz Xaver Winterhalter and Madame Barbe de Rimsky-Korsakov

'Madame Barbe de Rimsky-Korsakov' (1864) by Franz Xaver Winterhalter; Musée d'Orsay, Paris

It's quite evident why Franz Xaver Winterhalter, born on 20 April 1805, was such a well loved portrait painter, especially at the royal court. One of his most famous portraits is the one of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, whom you might know as Sissi. As you may remember or maybe not, I've already done a post on a painting by Winterhalter but that was a painting of a historical event matching the date of that post. I probably could have chosen another painter for today but I wanted to show you a woman's portrait by Winterhalter, because I love the depiction of the fine details of fabric and hair. Although the serious critics thought his work was superficial and artistically inadequate, his patrons appreciated his work and he got many commissions by royal families to paint portraits. Superficial or not, I think this portrait of Madame Barbe de Rimsky-Korsakov is beautiful, more beautiful than Winterhalter's Sissi.