This artwork was inspired by 17th century portraits. When he traveled in Italy in 1862–1866, von Lenbach copied the paintings of the old masters of the Renaissance and Baroque. He explored in detail the legacies of Titian, Giorgione, Rubens, and Velázquez, who ultimately had an impact on his individual artistic style. Von Lenbach had a villa in Munich, which was designed as a Renaissance palazzo. He organized costume parties there, and his friends and their family members often dressed as historical characters. He became a fan of photography, which had just been invented. In his studio he designed compositions with models in character costumes for his future paintings and portraits. A photographer would take a picture, based on which he would create a painting. In this portrait we can see one such character in a fancy dress. It has long been believed that it is his own daughter Gabriella. The figurative style of this painting certainly brings to mind the 17th century Portrait of Infanta Margarita by Velázquez.