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COUNTESS TEKLA VON LUDOLF, NÉE WEYSSENHOFF, FROM THE MIDDLETON WATERCOLOR ALBUM

Creator(s):

Currently in storage


About this object

The details of Countess Tekla von Ludolf’s (1791 – c.1869) early life are somewhat obscure. It is clear that she was the illegitimate daughter of Barbara-Dorota Jablonowska, a member of the Polish nobility, and Józef Weyssenhoff, a Lithuanian attorney, writer, and politician. She and her mother settled in Italy around 1810, where they mingled with both local and foreign aristocrats and officials. Tekla married Joseph-Constantin von Ludolf, a Neapolitan diplomat, in 1816 (52.39.8). The family moved to St. Petersburg when Joseph-Constantin was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in 1824. Tekla formed close friendships with the Middletons while in Russia; Eleanor Middleton’s diary relates the many evenings spent at her home. Williams Middleton also remembered her as a talented artist, an impression reinforced by her portrait in the Album. Tekla returned to Italy with her children in 1830 to further their education. Count Ludolf joined them in 1832 and was subsequently posted to the Papal court in Rome. Tekla remained in the country for the rest of her life, hosting Europe’s elite and patronizing charities and artistic societies. She probably died in Rome in 1869.

The half-length portrait presents Countess Tekla von Ludolf siting on a chair with blue upholstery facing left, eyes looking forward, beside a grey wall. On the left, a window looks out onto the Gulf of Naples and Mount Vesuvius. The Countess’s dark curls are arranged in a knot at the top of her head. She wears an elegant red dress over a white chemise. Her right hand, partially covered by a green shawl, holds two portfolios and a drawing instrument.

Object name:
COUNTESS TEKLA VON LUDOLF, NÉE WEYSSENHOFF, FROM THE MIDDLETON WATERCOLOR ALBUM
Made from:
Watercolor and gouache on paper
Date made:
1816-1830
Size:
H. 6 1/2 in., W. 5 5/8 in.

Detailed information for this item

Catalog number:
52.39.9
Signature marks:
inscription Comtesse de Ludolf Bottom of page In cursive
Credit line:
Museum Purchase, 2004