Portrait of a well-dressed man adorned with an order

Set against the backdrop of a gently rolling Austrian lake landscape, the painting presents a bust portrait of a man turned slightly to the left, dressed in an elegant dark frock coat with a white jabot. His intense and characterful facial expression gives the work a striking presence. On the lapel, he wears a decoration that has not yet been identified. The painting style closely corresponds to the hand of Kupelwieser, although the sitter’s identity remains uncertain.

Other portraits by Leopold Kupelwieser can be found in public collections: a portrait of Emperor Francis II in coronation regalia at the Museum of Military History in Vienna, a depiction of Josef Mayer, Baron von und zu Gravenegg, in the Belvedere in Vienna, and Saint Joseph with the Christ Child at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Kupelwieser was admitted to the Vienna Academy in 1809 and became known early on for his precise line work and expressive portrait sketches. During a journey to Italy (1823–1825), he came into contact with the Nazarene movement and subsequently devoted himself almost exclusively to religious subjects. He created numerous oil paintings and frescoes for Viennese churches, including works in the Peterskirche, the Dominican Church, and the parish church of Meidling. His main work is considered to be the decoration of the Altlerchenfeld Church (1855–1858). Kupelwieser was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and, from 1840 onward, resided in the Schönborn Palace.