Estonian Woman with her Child. 1850s. Oil

The painting depicts a mother in Estonian national dress, sitting elegantly among luxuriant vegetation that seems more reminiscent of a southern country. The shine of the woman’s skirt made of homespun wool seems too silky and the view of the Rakvere fortress in the background is more typical of Italy than northern Estonia. This is understandable when we recall that the artist Neff, who owned the Piira and Muuga manors in northern Estonia, dearly loved Italy. And the high society that was interested in his work appreciated salon art that provided a treat for the eyes.
Due to the theme of the painting, it is considered a jewel of Estica, i.e. 19th-century works based on Estonian themes.

Carl Timoleon von Neff (1804–1877) was a Baltic German painter who worked primarily in St. Petersburg, as a professor at the local art academy and as Nicholas I’s court painter.