Portrait of a poetess crowned with a laurel wreath, bust-length

The pastel has the characteristic 18th Century frame of the Dresden Gallery pictures collected by Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. He was one of the most enthusiatic collectors of Venetian art in the 18th Century, and particularly admired Rosalba. During his reign Augustus III managed to acquire 150 of her works, either directly from the artist or through collectors. Some of these pastels were returned to the Saxe family when the last King of Saxony abdicated in 1918.
Two pastels by Rosalba with Dresden frames were sold at Christie's London, 4 July 1995, lots 117-8.