"Anna Kull" by James Smetham, 1821-89

Anna Kull

James Smetham, 1821-89

1857

Oil on canvas

H 77 x W 55 cm

John Wesley’s House & The Museum of Methodism, London

Accession no. LDWMM/1997/6642

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See commentary below. Text by Jacqueline Banerjee

Kindly released via Art UK on the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial licence (CC BY-NC)

Anna Kull was a young German violoncellist who made her début, at least in England, at "Mr Howard Glover's 'Grand Annual' concert" at Drury Lane Theatre. The Musical World of 21 March 1857 reported that she played so beautifully on this occasion that she had to give an encore (35: 189). Here, standing beside her instrument, one arm over its richly-coloured plush cover, and her other hand holding her music, she looks modestly away from the artist (and viewers) with perfect composure. She looks young (she was only fifteen at this time) and refined, dressed in a flounced ivory evening gown, against the background of a simply furnished room, presumably in lodgings. It is a delicate and very pleasing portrait.

Bibliography

"Mr Howard Glover's Concert." The Musical World Vol. 35, 21 March 1857: 189. Google Books. Free Ebook.

Created 16 April 2021