Portrait of Emilie Flöge

Austrian artist Gustav Klimt painted this full-length portrait of Emilie Floge in 1902, depicting his companion of twenty-seven years as a bejeweled icon. The oil on canvas measures 178 by 80 centimeters. Emilie wears a flowing dress decorated with elaborate patterns, anticipating the Byzantine-influenced style Klimt would fully embrace after visiting Italian mosaics in 1903.

Emilie was a Viennese fashion designer and the younger sister of Helene Floge, who married Klimt's brother Ernst. When Ernst died suddenly in 1892, Klimt became responsible for Helene's care. Emilie, eighteen at the time, befriended Klimt by suggesting they learn French together. Those innocent lessons grew into a lifelong bond.

In 1904, Emilie and her sisters opened a fashion salon outfitted by the Wiener Werkstatte. Despite Klimt's notorious philandering, Emilie remained true to him until his death in 1918 and never married. Klimt's decorative portraits, with their rich gold and dark backgrounds, continue to influence luxury art and interior design. The work held at the Albertina in Vienna.