What the painting shows

Portrait of Margaret Stonborough-Wittgenstein by Gustav Klimt presents a full-length likeness of the sitter standing upright against an architectural setting. Klimt painted the work in oil on canvas in 1905, creating a composition that stands 179.8 centimeters tall and 90.5 centimeters wide. The tall, narrow canvas emphasizes the slender posture of Margaret Stonborough-Wittgenstein as she gazes calmly to the side.

Margaret wears a floor-length white gown covered in delicate lace embroidery, pleated folds, and sheer layers. The off-the-shoulder dress features voluminous sleeves gathered at the elbows and a tightly wrapped sash at the waist. Margaret holds her hands clasped in front of her, revealing subtle rings on her fingers. Her dark hair is styled in an upswept bun that frames her pale face and dark, expressive eyebrows.

Behind Margaret, the background is divided into clean geometric zones. A muted gray field fills the center of the canvas, bordered below by a band of vivid green and a black-and-white checkered strip. Behind Margaret’s head rises a curved architectural arch filled with tiny colored dots and flanked by gold spiral motifs, linking the canvas directly to Klimt’s gold period. Vertical panels of slate blue, dark gray, and off-white ground the upper corners of the scene, creating a balanced frame around her head. Klimt placed his signature and the date 1905 in the lower left corner.

Who the sitter was

Margaret Stonborough-Wittgenstein, commonly known as Gretl, lived from 1882 to 1958. She was born into the prominent and wealthy Wittgenstein family of Vienna. Her brothers included the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and the concert pianist Paul Wittgenstein. Margaret and other members of the Wittgenstein family were among Gustav Klimt’s most important patrons, commissioning significant works during his career.

Klimt painted this piece in 1905 for Margaret’s wedding. On 7 January 1905, Margaret married Jerome Stonborough, an American art collector of German Jewish descent who had changed his surname from Steinberger in 1900. Margaret and Jerome had two sons, Thomas Humphrey and John Jerome. The couple later divorced in 1938.

Beyond her connection to Klimt’s portraits, Margaret lived an active intellectual life. Following the First World War, she worked as a psychotherapy adviser after undergoing analysis with Sigmund Freud over two years. In 1926, she commissioned her brother Ludwig Wittgenstein and architect Paul Engelmann to design and construct Haus Wittgenstein, a celebrated modernist residence in Vienna.

Where to see it

Portrait of Margaret Stonborough-Wittgenstein remained in family hands for decades before joining the public Bavarian State Painting Collections. Margaret’s son Thomas sold the canvas in 1960. Today, the painting is in Munich, where collection records associate it with the Neue Pinakothek, while biographical sources also note its display in the Alte Pinakothek gallery.

Seeing the canvas in person allows you to observe the contrast between the fluid brushwork of the dress and the geometric lines of the backdrop. If you are exploring the full scope of the artist’s career, you can review our complete index of every Klimt painting to see where each work resides today across European and American galleries.