Unknown artist

Little Girl with a Rose, 18^th century

oil on canvas, 68x51 cm; unmarked
Fine Arts Collection, Inv. No.: 80.9.

By the middle of the 17^th century, it became common practice among Hungarian aristocrat families to decorate their residences with a familial portrait gallery. These included portraits of the ancestors, the current adult members of the family and often even the children, who represented the inheritors of wealth and power.
The composition of this portrait follows the conventions of child portraits, which can be traced back to the 16^th century. We see an approximately two-year-old little girl sitting on a pillow, which was a common element of the genre. Even though the depiction of heraldry was also common, none is present here. The child is shown in a ceremonial manner which also has a sense of simplicity and intimacy to it as well. She is holding a flower in one hand, a common motif of child and female portraits.
Due to the adherence to tradition, it is rather difficult to provide an exact date for the portrait. Given the presentation, it was most likely made during the late 18^th century. The painting was acquired through purchase from a private collection in Miskolc in 1980. At that point the origins of the artwork cannot be traced back, which leaves its origins (along with the family of the child) forever a mystery.
Andrea Pirint