Adolph von Menzel

Itzinger, Berlin
Dr. Martin Söhle, Hamburg (and sold, his sales of 1906/7)
Alfred Sommerguth, Berlin (his forced sale: H.W. Lange, Berlin, February 7, 1939, lot 21, sold RM 8,500)
Private Collection, Germany
Thence by descent

Dresden, Aquarell Exhibition, 1877
Berlin, Fritz Gurlitts Salon, 1881
Lepke Berlin, April 17, 1882
Vienna, Internationale Jubiläumsausstellung im Künstlerhaus, 1888
Berlin, Adolph von Menzel 1815-1905, Thannhauser Gallery, 1928

Max Jordan and Robert Dohme, Das Werk Adolph Menzels, Vom Künstler autorisierte Ausgabe, Munich, 1890, vol. II, pl. 25
Friederich von Boetticher, Malerwerke des neunzehnten jahrhunderts: Beitrag zur kunstgeschichte, Dresden, 1898, p. 19, no. 9 (as Im Eisenbahn-Coupé)
Hugo von Tschudi, Adolph von Menzel: Abbildungen seiner Gemälde und Studien, Munich, 1905, no. 302 (location unknown)
Hermann Beenken, Das 19. Jahrundert in der deutschen Kunst, Aufgaben und Gehalte, Versuch einer Rechenschaft, Munich, 1944, p. 330
"Menzel und seine zeit," in Adolph Menzel, Nationalgalerie, Gemälde, Zeichnungen, Ausstellung 1980, Berlin, 1980, p. 117
Claude Keisch and Marie Ursula Riemann-Reyher, eds. Adolph Menzel, 1815-1905, Between Romanticism and Impressionism, exh. cat., Musée d'Orsay, Paris, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C., Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin, 1997, p. 28, 53 (not cited by name but within the discussion of no. 87)

This gouache on paper exhibits a loss in the lower-left corner and a small insert has been installed previously in the upper-left; an approximately 6 inch diagonal tear extends from this insert diagonaly to the carriage seat. Structurally, the paper is glued to an acidic cardboard support at each edge, where at the top margin the adhesive has failed sporadically. This, as well as the distortions creating a "wave" to the surface of the work, shows the paper is loose at the center and not in contact with the support. Thus little contact with the acidic surface has minimized the amount of discoloration present in the image. A small area of incipient cracklure has developed in the upper-right quadrant where the pigment was accumulated thickly. Visually, the only disturbance is a small, darkened patch of pigment to the side of the seated figure's head. This may be due to a chemical change (oxidation) to the zinc white used by the artist.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

In 1838, the first railway line connecting Berlin and surrounding areas was completed, and by the early 1840s additional lines to connecting regions had been added.  A frequent train traveler himself, Menzel likely spent many long nights in a cramped carriage, sitting in a restless posture similar to the passengers depicted in Im Eisenbahncoupé (Nach durchfahrener Nacht) (also known as In a Railway Carriage (after a Night's Journey)).  In the present work, the man's twisted position, feet wedged against the opposite seat, suggests convenience over comfort, while his companion's slumped shoulders, heavy expression, and rumpled dress are tell-tale signs of a sleepless night spent sitting up. The muted color tones of the carriage interior suggest soft early morning light, and the brighter, built-up areas of gouache detail the crumpled newspaper, tossed clothing, and empty flask all discarded during the journey. Menzel's later compositions of train riders, like Early Morning on the Night Express (1877), in which a yawning man is seen with his wide-eyed wife who hides under a blanket as a porter opens the carriage door to offer coffee, emphasized anecdotal details. But the present work is comparatively more naturalistic in expression (Keisch and Riemann-Reyher, p. 288). Though a window affords a view to trees rushing past, the composition's overall cramped perspective focuses sharply on the unselfconscious figures, from the man's ruddy, red face, mouth fallen open in slumber, to the wispy strands of the woman's disheveled hair and glints from her jewelry.  The medium of Im Eisenbahncoupé also adds to its visual power, as it allowed Menzel to create minute details built upon layers and layers of gouache, letting each dry before reworking the composition, sometimes scraping or rubbing colors in or out to reveal the shifting depths of tone below (by 1880 Menzel would increasingly employ gouache in his production).  Completed in 1851, the present work is also one of the earliest to depict rail travel (Keisch and Riemann-Reyher, p. 289). While contemporaries like Honoré Daumier depicted similar scenes, Menzel's work is relatively devoid of social commentary; it allows its weary subjects to speak for themselves.

This lot is offered in cooperation with the heirs of Alfred Sommerguth.