Anna Dorthea Therbusch

July 23, 1721 – November 9, 1782

Active in: Germany
Alternate names: Anna Dorothea Lisiewska Therbusch

Biography

Anna Dorothea Therbusch was born into an artistic family in Berlin in 1721. Her father was the portrait painter Georg Lisiewski. Therbusch worked in the courts of Stuttgart and Mannheim, painting portraits of the Prussian royal family and aristocracy. She also painted multiple self-portraits, depicting herself with a monocle as she got older and her eyesight began to fail.

In 1765, Therbusch traveled to Paris where she was elected a member of the Académie Royale in 1767. There, she met Denis Diderot, who claimed to have posed nude for her. She returned to Berlin in early 1769, where she became a portrait painter to Frederick II of Prussia. Although she never traveled to Russia, she was admired by collectors there, including Catherine the Great. She died in Berlin in 1782.

Selected Works

A woman with light skin, rosy cheeks, and curly gray hair is shown from teh chest up. She is wearing a bright pink or red dress which has slipped to expose one shoulder, along with a black hat trimmed with feathers the same color as her dress.

Anna Dorothea Therbusch, Self-Portrait, ca. 1740. Oil on canvas, 52 x 43 cm. Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen

A light-skinned man with white hair curled above his ears, dark eyes, and a slight double chin stands with one hand at his waist. He is wearing a dark blue coat with bright blue lining and trim, large gold-colored hardware on teh front, and an orange sash across his chest. Beneath the coat and sash, he is wearing a shiny off-white shirt and trousers.

Anna Dorothea Therbusch, Friedrich Wilhelm II. von Preußen, 1773. Oil on canvas, 141 x 110 cm. Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg

A woman with light skin, gray hair, and a lined face is seated, leaning forward with a book in her hand. She is turned to look at the viewer, and has a monocle affixed to her head in front of one eye. She is wearing a pale blue skirt with an off-white or gray shirt or shawl and a veil over her hair.

Anna Dorothea Therbusch, Self-Portrait, 1777. Oil on canvas, 151 x 115 cm. Gemäldegalerie

A young woman with light skin, pink cheeks, and curled gray hair is shown reclining outdoors with a small dog hanging over her arm. The woman is wearing a bright pink skirt and jacket outfit with stripes, and the jacket has been pulled slightly to expose one breast. She also wears a white scarf, a large black hat with white feather plumes, and one yellow glove with the other glove in hand.

Anna Dorothea Therbusch, Wilhelmine Encke, Countess Lichtenau, 1776. Oil on canvas, 143 x 103 cm. Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg

A woman with light skin, very pink cheeks, and long dark-blonde hair is seated at a small table with one elbow resting on it, gazing directly out at the viewer. She is wearing a silvery-white gown that is pulled below her breasts, along with a sheer white scarf tied around her neck and bracelets on both wrists. She holds a small bouquet of flowers in one hand.

Anna Dorothea Therbusch, Young Woman in Negligé, 1768. Oil on canvas, 38.8 x 32.2 cm. Gemäldegalerie

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Selected works

Circle

Daughter of
Georg Lisiewski

Bibliography

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Reidemeister, Leopold. “Anna Dorothea Therbusch: Ihr Leben und ihr Werk.” PhD dissertation, University of Berlin, 1924.

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Santos-Bueso, E., F. Saenz-Frances, and J. Garcia-Sanchez. “Anna Dorothea Therbusch’s monocle.” Archivos de la Sociedad Espanola de Oftalmologia 88 (2103): 26–27.

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Entry Notes

Contributions to timeline and bibliography provided by Indiana University A300 student