- 82
Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix.
bidding is closed
Description
- Fine unrecorded portrait, signed by the composer ("Felix MendelssohnBartholdy d. 1sten Juli 1840")
by Johann Heinrich Schramm (1810-1865), signed and inscribed by the artist: "N[ach] d[er] Natur, --J.H. Schramm. in Leipzig, gem[ah]lt, 1840"
watercolour with pencil, with touches of gum-arabic, overall size: c.28.5 x 23.5cms, very slight discolouration to the field, but the colours generally in fine and fresh condition
watercolour with pencil, with touches of gum-arabic, overall size: c.28.5 x 23.5cms, very slight discolouration to the field, but the colours generally in fine and fresh condition
Provenance
From the family of the composer, by descent.
Literature
Peter Ward Jones, Mendelssohn. An Exhibition (Oxford 1997), p.48 (no.65). We are grateful to Peter Ward Jones for his advice in our cataloguing of this painting.
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
This portrait, painted from life in 1840, remained within the Mendelssohn family and has never been published or publicly exhibited.
Mendelssohn's wife Cécile reported in a letter to her mother on 7 July 1840 that Schramm had "done quite a good portrait of Felix, which he wants to have engraved". This is probably that portrait, intended to be engraved along with the composer's signature, although no such engraving has ever been traced. Cécile notes in her letter that Scramm presented her with a painting of herself as a "mark of gratitude". There is also a pencil portrait of Mendelssohn by Schramm in the Bodleian Library, dated 1841, apparently a copy of the present painting (Ms. M. Deneke Mendelssohn d.68).