A fine head portrait of a young woman with a rose by Alfred Seifert. The sitter is posed in a white dress with her back half turned to look out at the viewer over her shoulder. At her front can be seen a pink rose and the tip of a red rose held by an unseen hand. Roses symbolise youth and beauty and were often featured in Seifert’s portraits.

Alfred Seifert was born in Praskolesy, Bohemia (present day Czech Republic) on 6 September, 1850. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to nearby Hořovice where he grew up. His talent for art became apparent whilst recuperating from a serious illness as a child. After his recovery, he was tutored by Karel Würbs the inspector of Estates Gallery at Prague Castle and the landscape artist Alois Kirnig (1840-1911).

In 1869, he was admitted into Academy of Fine Arts in Munich where he studied under Michael Echter (1812-1879), Alexander von Wagner (1838-1919) and Johann Leonhard Raab (1825-1899). During this time, he started producing portraits of women and developed his own signature style, focussing on heads of girls which became known as "Seifert type".

Many of his works are a study of the sitter's profile and are beautifully composed using harmonious colours and tones. His portraits of women often include flowers as in this fine example. In 1876, he opened his own workshop in Munich and started exhibiting in Germany and Prague.

He became a popular artist in Germany achieving success and spent most of his life there. He died in Munich on 6 February, 1901. Examples of his work can be found at the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne and the Rudolfinum, Prague.

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