Portrait of Augusta Dorothea Enderlin

Augusta Dorothea Enderlin was the wife of Joseph Enderlin of Switzerland, who attended the University of Heidelberg and became secretary to the Margrave of Baden. It was most likely at Baden where the portraits of Augusta Dorothea Enderlin and her husband were painted, as Melling was court painter to Margrave Karl Freidrich. Josef Melling's professional career was devoted chiefly to large mural and ceiling paintings. He studied under Carl van Loo at the Royal Academy in Paris, where he won the grand prize in painting. In this half-length portrait, Melling captures his subject in three-quarter profile. Mrs. Enderlin wears a dress with a ruffled neckline and three-quarter length sleeves, embellished by bows and lace. Her hair is pulled back in an elaborate hairstyle, her curls held up by bows and rosettes. She fingers the ribbon encircling her right wrist, her hands resting on the table in front of her.

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Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Joseph and Augusta Dorothea Enderlin. Miss Eugenia C. Willig, direct descendant of the couple portrayed, gift to the Walters, 7 January 1944.[1] [1] According to Miss Willig's letter included with the gift, the Enderlins had two daughters, one of whom married George Willig and came to Philadelphia in 1793. The other never married. The portrait appears to have stayed in the family and likely was inherited by Mrs. George Willig, eventually becoming the property of Miss Eugenia C. Willig.