Portrait Of A Lady ~ By ~ Jens Juel ~ 1745 - 1802.

Jens Juel was an 18th century Danish painter, primarily known for his many portraits, of which the largest collection is on display at Frederiksborg Castle.
Juel was born in the house of his mother's brother Johan Jørgensen; showing an interest in painting from an early age, his parents sent him to be an apprentice of painter Johann Michael Gehrman in Hamburg, Here Jens improved so much that by his twenties he had acquired a reputation as a painter of portraits, landscapes, etc. In 1765 he moved to Copenhagen to attend the Royal Danish Academy of Art, in 1767 being awarded its small, then in 1771 large, gold medals. 1772 saw him move to Rome, where he stayed for four years together with other Danish artists, including Nicolai Abildgaard. From Rome, he moved to Paris, at the time a centre of portrait painting. In 1777 he moved on to Geneva, where he stayed for two years in the company of other Danish artists, including etcher Johann Friderich Clemens; here Juel soon established himself as an excellent artist, particularly with regards to portaiture.