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Marie Kerner von Marilaun was born on 21st May 1835, as the daughter of Johann Nepomuk Ebner von Rofenstein, district governor of Vorarlberg. Widowed at a young age, Countess von Wolkenstein married Professor Anton Kerner von Marilaun in 1862, who in subsequent years rose to become Austria's leading botanist.

No portrait of Marie Kerner by Klimt was mentioned in any published sources until 2018. It was only the discovery of five letters by Klimt belonging to Anton Kerner’s estate in the archives of the University of Vienna that provided the first indication of its existence and enabled its rediscovery in October 2017. The letters reveal that the painting was commissioned at the end of November 1891 as a Christmas present. Klimt completed it on 23rd December and, after making a few changes requested by the customer, arranged for it to be collected on the evening of 24th December. He was only able to make further corrections to it after the Christmas holidays. The commission brought him a fee of 250 crowns.

Marie Kerner was 55 years old when Klimt painted her portrait, but she is depicted as a young bride. In a later note on the back of the painting, her daughter Adele confirms that Klimt had painted it from an old miniature portrait. This original miniature still exists, along with other photos that were placed at Klimt’s disposal. Adele's note also mentions that she and her brother Fritz took painting lessons from Klimt, making them Klimt’s first known pupils. Klimt’s relationship with the Kerner family and the portrait commission are also described in the unpublished chronicle written by Klimt's brother Georg.

In style, the portrait of Marie Kerner as a bride is similar to the murals that had been painted shortly before in the staircase of Vienna’s Museum of Art History. The face looks highly stylised due to the small-scale photographic originals. The bridal wreath, bouquet and brooch reveal Klimt’s penchant for ornamental decoration.
(Markus Fellinger)