Portrait of Christoffel Bernhard Julius von Schwartz (1676-1754), heer van Ansen en Glinthuis

Rosalba Carriera was a Venetian pastellist who revolutionised European portrait painting through her mastery of pastel — a medium she elevated from a minor technique to a prestigious independent art. Her portrait of Christoffel Bernhard Julius von Schwartz demonstrates her practice of portraying members of the northern European aristocracy who sought her out during their Grand Tour visits to Venice. Carriera's pastels were prized for their freshness, spontaneity, and ability to capture individual character.

Carriera's handling of pastel creates the characteristic soft, powdery surface that distinguished her portraits from oil painting. The sitter's face is rendered with careful attention to individual physiognomy, while the costume is indicated with broader, more summary strokes. Her palette — warm flesh tones against cooler backgrounds — is characteristically delicate and refined.