Artist in His Studio, Franz Anton Maulbertsch

Archive Label 1999:
In addition to his large, decorative murals, for which he is primarily known, Maulbertsch painted small easel pictures of everyday life. Here, he provides an informal view into an artist's studio, where a young woman sits for her portrait. The portrait in progress is not exactly truthful to nature, however. The artist has added a bird perched on the sitter's right hand and an empty cage tucked under her left arm. The bird freed from its cage may be meant to symbolize the woman's own independence.