Lesser Ury 1861-1931

Purchased in Berlin circa 1923 directly from the artist by Hugo Wittenberg, grandfather of the present owner
By descent to Rudolph Wittenberg, son of the above, circa 1936
Gift to the present owner, daughter of the above, 1964

Lesser Ury was fascinated with the ritual of the afternoon coffee and tea taken in the twilight hours between the working day and evening festivities. His interest in daily life was stimulated by his immersion in the thriving atmosphere of turn-of-the-century Berlin. There, he found  his subject-matter, as Cecil Roth explains: `In 1885 Lesser Ury returned to Berlin  where he remained until his death in 1931. In his most characteristic works, he was, therefore, inspired by the life of the German metropolis, by the characters he could observe in its streets and cafés, by the city-scapes of its rainy streets.’ (Cecil Roth, Jewish Art, London, 1971, pp. 219 & 220). The influence of French Impressionist artists is evident in the present work, notably that of Degas, whose work often depicts figures in café interiors. The sumptuousness of the surroundings and the bohemian character of the protagonists clearly captured Ury’s imagination repeatedly, drawing him to this subject.