Johann Baptist Drechsler

With Pannonia Gallery;
By whom (anonymously) sold, New York, Sotheby Parke-Bernet, 8 January 1981, lot 89;
There purchased by the present collectors.

Panel is uncradled and bevelled on all four sides. there is excellent preservation of the paint surface with good impasto and lovely detail and coloration. examination under ultraviolet reveals a small retouch to the pink rose at center and one on the white rose at left. a few small retouches can be seen in background middle right. painting is presentable and can be hung in its present state. In a plain black wood frame with gilding to outer and inner edges.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Johann Baptist Drechsler was the leading still-life painter in Vienna at the turn of the nineteenth century.  At the age of sixteen, he began his career painting flowers at the Vienna porcelain factory and remained there until 1785.  He was appointed Professor of the newly created flower drawing class at the Academy in 1787 and eventually rose to be the Director of the Academy in 1807.  He began producing easel paintings while still at the porcelain factory, but the majority of his work of this type dates from after he left until his death in 1811.  Drechsler was certainly aware of the work of the earlier Dutch still life masters, such as Jan van Huysum and Rachel Ruysch, and their influence is clearly discernable in his work.

Drechsler typically set his floral arrangements against a niche as can be seen in the present example, and in lots 124-126 of this sale, setting off the brilliant colors of the flowers against a darker background.  Dated examples are known from 1785 onwards, marking the present still life a relatively early work by the artist.

We are grateful to Fred Meijer of the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, The Hague  for confirming the attribution, based on an image.