Anna Dorothea THERBUSCH, née LISZEWSKA (Berlin, 1721 - 1782) Portrait of a Young Man with a Hat and Cane Oil on canvas Portrait of a young man with a hat and a cane, oil on canvas, by A. D. Therbusch, born Liszewska 25.19 x 20.07 in. 64 x 51 cm Provenance: Private collection, Paris Anna Dorothea Therbusch is one of the most important German painters of the 18th century, whose work was recently brought to light through a research project organised by the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, which resulted in a monographic exhibition1. Born into a family of Berlin artists, Therbusch was introduced to the art of portraiture by her father Georg Lisiewsky (1674-1750), a Polish painter. She began her career in 1761 when she was commissioned to produce eighteen paintings to decorate the residence of Charles II Eugène, Duke of Württemberg (1728-1793). In 1763, she was invited to the court of Mannheim, where she painted the portrait of Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria. She moved to Paris in 1766 and was admitted to the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture de Paris in 1767, with her reception piece Un jeune buveur éclairé par une bougie (now in the collections of the Ecole nationale des Beaux-Arts). She exhibited at the Salon on several occasions, where she met Denis Diderot, whose comments about her oscillated between admiration and sarcasm. In Paris, she did not achieve the success she had hoped for. The critics were particularly harsh, especially because she exhibited paintings containing male nudes that violated the laws against modesty. She returned to Berlin around 1769-1770, where she set up her studio in the Unter den Linden district. The last two decades of her life, during which she worked at the court of the Prussian King Frederick II (1712-1786), were crowned with success. Our painting of a young shepherd probably completes the still little-known body of Therbusch's work in Paris, because of its "French" style. The lively brushwork and depiction of the flesh are reminiscent of other paintings by Therbusch, such as the portrait of Johann Christian Samuel Gohl de Hessen (Kassel Heritage, inv. no. GK 959). Another version of our painting, inscribed 'Paris' on the reverse2, supports the hypothesis that the composition was intended for the Paris market (fig. 1). 1. Anna Dorothea Therbusch: Eine Berliner Künstlerin der Aufklärungzeit, Berlin, Gemäldegalerie, 3 December 2021-10 April 2022, curated by Nuria Jetter and Sarah Salomon 2. Anonymous sale; Munich, Hampel, 4 July 2008, no. 304 We would like to thank Sarah Salomon for her help in writing this note. Anna Dorothea THERBUSCH, née LISZEWSKA (Berlin, 1721 - 1782) 64 x 51 cm