Portrait of Marie von Coudenhove-Kalergi (1840–1877)

Portrait of Marie von Coudenhove-Kalergi (1840–1877) of 1877 was painted in the year of the sitter's death, suggesting it may have been either a late life portrait or a posthumous memorial commission. Marie von Coudenhove-Kalergi belonged to one of the most cosmopolitan aristocratic families of the Habsburg empire — the Coudenhove-Kalergi family would later become famous for Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi, founder of the Pan-European Movement, born to a member of this family in 1894. Marie herself died at thirty-seven, and a portrait commissioned in her death year carries a particular poignancy. Makart's ability to capture the social grace and beauty of aristocratic women made him the appropriate choice for such a portrait. The absent collection attribution suggests private family ownership or uncertain later history.

Whether painted from life or posthumously, the portrait demonstrates Makart's mature handling of aristocratic female portraiture: warm, luminous flesh tones, carefully observed costume, and a composed expression that conveys social distinction without loss of individual character. If posthumous, the work would have been based on earlier photographs or studies, a common practice for memorial portraits in the nineteenth century.