Carl Hummel

Estate of the artist (1943-1993 as deposit at Schlossmuseum Weimar, Germany)

Sotheby's Munich, 21 June 1994, lot 226 (consigned by the above)

Private Collection, Southern Germany (acquired by the above)

Grisebach Berlin, 29 May 2013, lot 161 (consigned by the above)

Private Collection, Northern Germany (acquired at the above sale)

Acquired by descent from the above by the present owner

• A mid-19th century depiction of the iconic Villa Carlotta on Lake Como, Italy.
• Dated 1855, placing the work in the artist's highly successful period of Italian landscape painting.
• Demonstrates the artist's command of light, color, and Romantic landscape composition.

The present work, Villa Carlotta, is a beautifully observed landscape painting that captures the idyllic setting of the celebrated lakeside villa. Executed in 1855, the composition focuses on the architectural elegance of the villa framed by the lush, dramatic topography of Lake Como. Hummel employs a rich, detailed palette dominated by soft blues in the water and sky, contrasting with the light white tones of the architecture and the verdant greens of the surrounding gardens. The use of oil on paper, a favored support for rapid studies, contributes to the immediacy and fresh luminosity of the scene, skillfully conveying the radiant light of the Italian midday.

While Hummel is renowned for his extensive travels and detailed Italian views, including many works of Lake Garda, Venice, and Rome, this depiction of Villa Carlotta is particularly evocative. The work goes beyond a mere topographical record, it is a sensitive portrait of the site, capturing not only the architecture but also the dramatic backdrop of the mountains meeting the lake. This piece serves as a sophisticated travel souvenir, demonstrating the enduring appeal of the Grand Tour aesthetic in mid-19th-century German painting.

Carl Hummel is recognized as a key landscape painter of the Weimar School, whose extensive travels and studio works are held in notable collections. His institutional relevance is confirmed by the presence of his paintings in major European and North American museums, including the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the ALBERTINA Museum in Vienna, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.