Portrait of v. Lippart

Also dated 1861 and from the Art Collection of the Federal Republic of Germany, this portrait of a figure identified as v. Lippart stands alongside the red-haired lady portrait as evidence of Lenbach's early productivity and ambition. At twenty-three he was already executing portrait commissions, demonstrating the social skills and technical reliability that would eventually make him Germany's most sought-after portraitist. The name Lippart — likely a German noble family — suggests that even at this early date Lenbach was gaining access to the social strata that would sustain his career. The canvas support and his academic training at this period meant working within conventions he would spend the following decade systematically expanding, guided by study of Venetian Renaissance masters during his Italian travels beginning in 1858.

Early Lenbach on canvas shows his Piloty school training: structured tonal approach, careful anatomical drawing, and the controlled finish expected of academic portraiture. Personal qualities that would distinguish his mature style — psychological penetration, elegant glaze work — are present in nascent form but not yet fully developed.