Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein (born 1788) was a passionate portraitist. He painted more than 700 portraits, including Goethe at age 75, Friedrich von Amerling, Antonio Canova, Friedrich Overbeck, Ludwig Ferdinand Schnorr von Carolsfeld, members of the nobility and even the Pope! He was a professor at the Dresden Academy of Art for 30 years, but still remained true to another passion, travelling. He often visited St. Petersburg, Paris, London and Rome.
Travelling was also the special interest of the husband of the young lady he portrayed here. It is said to be Ida Helene Caroline von Siebold, (born von Gagern, 1820-1877), the wife of the famous ethnologist, botanist and Japan researcher Philipp Franz von Siebold (Würzburg 1796-1866 Munich). He was a Bavarian doctor from a famous family of physicians, who spent many years in Japan during the Edo period. As a medical officer in the Dutch-Indian army he was one of the few Europeans who had the opportunity to travel and explore the country. Siebold was committed to opening Japan to the West and devoted himself completely to the exploration of the country. In 1845 he married Ida Helene, who was 24 years younger. Their sons supported their father’s research and continued his work.
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