Dancer Lola Montez, Countess of Landsfeld

Augustine Leroy

Ca 1850. Gouache on bone

Lola Montez (1821–1861), born Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, was an adventurous artist of Irish descent, whose liberal nature and dancing caused a great sensation and found admirers in both Europe and America. Her most notorious love affair was with King Ludwig I of Bavaria, which ended in the abdication of the king and the expulsion of Lola Montez from Germany during the revolution of 1848. Prior to these events, in 1847, Ludwig I had made her Countess of Landsfeld, and had commissioned Joseph Karl Stieler to paint a portrait of the daring lady for his famous Gallery of Beauties.

Numerous repetitions of this portrait appeared: paintings, miniatures and porcelain plates, which were similar to contemporary fan products. Lola Montez’s fame has been compared to the phenomenon of the pop singer Madonna. The miniature portrait by the French artist Augustine Leroy at the Kadriorg Art Museum is a mirror image of the original portrait, because it was painted after an engraved reproduction.