Portrait of a Lady in a Red Dress, Johann Rudolf Huber (668–1748)

Johann Rudolf Huber (Basel, 1668–1748)
"Portrait of a Lady"

Oil on canvas
In its original carved and gilded frame
Canvas: 82.0 x 65.0 cm
Frame: 102.0 x 85.0 cm

Inscribed on the reverse: "GRHuber Pinxit - 1725".

Provenance:
Old Master Paintings, Drawings, and Frames (Old Master paintings from the collection of Baroness Jacobea Sapuppo), Christie’s, Rome, May 25 – June 1, 1999, lot 646;
Private collection, Milan.

A superb portrait of a woman, executed with extreme finesse and great stylistic elegance by the renowned Baroque portraitist Johann Rudolf Huber (Basel, 1668–1748), who signed and dated the work on the reverse of the canvas.

The vividness of the color palette is remarkable, as is the volumetric realism of the figure; she adopts a pose that highlights her perfect form, draped in a bright red gown. A blue cloak with gold facings rests across her shoulders.

The beautiful lady’s complexion stands out sharply against the rich, bold tones of her attire and the monochrome background.

This painting serves as an excellent testament to the artist’s skill—he excelled in the art of portraiture, whether depicting female or male subjects. His works are held in numerous public and private collections.

The canvas is in excellent condition and is accompanied by its magnificent original gilded frame.

Biography:

Huber was born on April 21, 1668, in Basel, in the canton of Basel (Switzerland). He was the son of Alexander Huber, an innkeeper and member of the Great Council of Basel. In 1682, at the age of 14, he began an apprenticeship with the portraitist Hans Kaspar Meyer, subsequently continuing his training between 1684 and 1687 at Joseph Werner’s private academy in Bern.

In his spare time, Huber painted portraits of craftspeople for a modest fee, thereby discovering a particular passion for the art of portraiture.
He later claimed to have produced over 5,000 such works; between 1683 and 1718, he recorded every completed piece in his *Register der Contrafeit, so Ich nach dem Leben gemahldt habe* (now held at the Kunstmuseum Winterthur).[2]

On his way back to Basel, Huber stayed at the residences of the Prince-Bishop of Basel in Moutier, Delémont, and Arlesheim, where he received commissions for portraits. Following Werner’s advice, he traveled to Italy in 1687.
According to Johann Kaspar Füssli (1769), Huber spent some time attending an academy in Venice.

The most decisive period of his artistic training, however, was a three-year apprenticeship in Haarlem under the landscape and marine painter Pieter Mulier the Younger, who at the time divided his work between Venice and Milan.
Huber would incorporate human figures into Mulier’s landscapes.
Later, he traveled to Rome by way of Florence; in the papal capital, he had the opportunity to associate with Carlo Maratta and the Accademia di San Luca.
His return journey took him first to Lyon, and subsequently to Paris. In 1693, Huber returned to Basel and married Catharina Faesch (1671–1719), the daughter of a city councilor.
A son, Alexander, also became a painter but died young. Their daughter, Anna Katharina, married the painter Johann Ulrich Schellenberg—who worked in Huber’s studio—in 1737.
In 1694, Huber became a member of the Great Council of Basel and began working for Frederick VII, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, who was living in exile in Basel.
Through the Margrave’s intercession, he secured a position as court painter to Eberhard Louis, Duke of Württemberg, at the Old Castle in Stuttgart.
At the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, Huber worked once again in Basel, primarily as a portraitist in the service of the Margrave of Baden-Durlach.
Lacking the recognition he desired in his hometown, Huber lived mainly in Bern between 1702 and 1738, where his portraits were highly prized.
He also spent time in Neuchâtel, Baden, and southern Germany.
In 1738, Huber returned to Basel, and in 1740, he became a member of the city’s Small Council.
He continued his artistic work until 1746.
Huber died in Basel on February 28, 1748, at the age of 79.