Anders Zorn - Portrait of Mrs Veronica Heiss with Coral Hair Ornament and Necklace

Anders Zorn (Swedish, 1860–1920) Sweden

Portrait of Mrs Veronica Heiss with Coral Hair Ornament and Necklace, 1883

Watercolour on paper
49 × 38 cm (19 ¼ × 15 in.)
visible image 43 × 31.5 cm (16 ⅞ × 12 ⅜ in.)
framed: 69 × 55.5 cm (27 ⅛ × 21 ⅞ in.)
signed “Zorn”
executed in 1883

This early watercolour portrait by Anders Zorn depicts Mrs Veronica Heiss (née Reiner, 1841–1927) in a bust-length, oval composition. Zorn portrays the sitter wearing a vivid madder-red blouse and adorned with a coral necklace and matching coral hair ornament, which stand out against her dark brown hair. The artist’s fluid handling of the medium captures a rich interplay of light and shadow, bringing lifelike warmth to Mrs Heiss’s complexion and the lustrous red hues of her attire. Even at only 23 years old, Zorn was already a virtuoso of watercolour – he chose this medium (a relatively uncommon choice in his era) as his primary technique until about 1887, before gaining international renown as one of the most acclaimed portrait painters of his time.

In late 1883, Zorn had just returned to Stockholm from abroad with a portfolio full of new watercolours and was rapidly engaged for several portrait commissions. Among these were a pair of portraits of the Heiss family: Veronica and her husband Frans Paul Heiss, a prominent Bavarian-born master brewer in Stockholm. Art historian Gerda Boëthius later described these works as “vackra akvareller” – beautiful watercolours – in which Zorn demonstrated both technical assurance and keen characterization. She noted that Zorn “visar sin säkerhet att måla svart” (“shows his confidence in painting black”), capturing the dignified presence of Frans Heiss “på ett utomordentligt sätt” (“in an extraordinary way”). By contrast, “Fru Veronicas porträtt är koloristiskt rikt. Hennes blus är krappröd och hon har ett klarrött korallband i sitt mörkbruna hår” – Mrs Veronica’s portrait is richly coloured, with a madder-red blouse and a bright red coral band in her dark hair. This vivid use of colour, combined with Zorn’s impeccable technique, makes the portrait a compelling example of his early mastery in watercolour.

Provenance:
Mrs Veronica Heiss (née Reiner, 1841–1927);
Thence by descent to her daughter, Laura Hartmann (née Heiss);
Bukowskis, Stockholm, 3–5 April 1957, lot no. 291

Literature:
Gerda Boëthius, Zorn – Tecknaren – Målaren – Etsaren – Skulptören, 1949, listed under 1883, p. 539 and mentioned p. 134;
"Konst i svenska hem", first series, page 98, Heiss Collection, collection 83. "Porträtt av disponent Fr. Heiss.