The praying girl

The rectangular painting depicts a praying girl. She has an oval face with large dark eyes, a long straight nose and carmine lips. Her long light brown hair is brushed away from her forehead, falling down to cover her back. She has an exposed neck and right shoulder. A ring can be seen on the right-hand finger. The bluish portrait background of is plain. The painting has a wide wooden profiled gilt frame, decorated with ornamental strips. The strip closest to the edge of the canvas features a geometric ornament, followed by a strip of pearl ornament, then a highly stylised cymatium and an outer strip decorated with a ribbon motif. Signed in upper right corner in black paint: Ewa Liphardt 1881. The easel painting called the “Praying Girl” is oil on canvas. It was acquired from the Potocki family in 1944.

Cyprian Biernat