Lot 1721 Dα

Mary Stuck, Franz von Stuck's daughter born out of wedlock in 1896, gazes at the viewer from alert, impenetrable eyes. Born Anna Maria Brandmaier, the girl was adopted and renamed by the artist and his wife Mary Stuck (widowed Lindpainter) in 1904. With over 60 portraits to her name, she became one of the artist's favourite models alongside his wife, slipping into numerous historical costumes and traditional roles for them.
Painted around 1906 /1912, the portrait shows Mary in Munich costume with breastcloth and headdress. Her facial features with slightly flushed cheeks, dark curly hair and coquettish expression stand out gracefully against the brown background. The delicate painting style contrasts with the more schematic treatment of the clothing.
Franz von Stuck used the modern medium of photography for his portraits, using the individual photographs as direct models. Among the numerous photographs of his daughter, one has survived that shows Mary in a very similar costume. It can be assumed with a high degree of probability that the photograph on which the portrait is based originates from the same photo session. Franz von Stuck often produced several versions of drawings and paintings based on a single photograph, in which only the clothing changed, while Mary's facial expression rarely changed at all.