1898
Oil on wood, 45 x 71 cm
Nationalgalerie, Berlin
The elegiac dream mood and numerous symbolic references make the picture one of Hofmann's characteristic early works. The painting shows Hofmann's bride Eleonore Kekulé (1878–1968), daughter of archaeologist Reinhard Kekulé von Stradonitz. The pure profile head is reminiscent of the beautifully lined female portraits of the Florentine Renaissance.
