J. SCHUL.., MID 18TH CENTURY | PORTRAIT OF A LADY, THREE QUARTER LENGTH, HOLDING AN ORANGE TREE FLOWER

This portrait shows an elegant sitter, probably of African descent, who wears a delicate silk gown with pearled jewelry and luminescent silver earrings. The artist of this portrait, as well as the mixed-race of its sitter, has eluded scholars, even though it has a legible signature. There are various portraitists from the second half of the 18th century whose names match the painting's signature, including Johann Caspar Schulz (1735/50-1846), Joachim Christian Schulz (1721-1786), and Johann Christian Schulz (active circa 1750).