Gustav Klimt, a leading exponent of Art Nouveau in Austria and the first president of the Vienna Succession, is known particularly for his striking images of women. Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, a wealthy Vienna industrialist, twice commissioned Klimt to paint his wife Adele. The resultant portraits of 1907 and 1912 can be found in Vienna’s Österreichische Galerie. The first is a classic example of Klimt’s golden style, while the second, for which this drawing is a prepatory study, demonstrates the influence of the Fauves. Klimt made hundreds of drawings of Adele Bloch Bauer in preparation for these paintings. As with most of his studies, in this work, Klimt crops Bloch Bauer at the forehead and provides very little detail in the face. The drawing is quite sketchy in character, capturing only the essence of her dress and pose.