- 288
Bartholomäus Ignaz Weiss
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
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Description
- Bartholomäus Ignaz Weiss
- Portrait of Georges Desmarées (1697–1776) at his easel painting a portrait of Johann Christian Thomas Winck (1738–1797)
- signed and dated lower right: B.Weÿss/ Fecit/ 1772
inscribed beneath the window sill: Georgius de Marées Aulae Boicae Pictor prima:/rius.; and on the reverse Altera imago est Christiani Winkii Aulae/ Boicae Pictoris. - oil on zinc plate
- 31.1 cm by 24.1 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, New York (according to an inscription on the reverse);
Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, 31 January 2009, lot 85.
Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, 31 January 2009, lot 85.
Condition
The plate is flat, the paint surface is stable, much of the impasto remains intact and the colours are bright. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals an uneven varnish and very minor retouching to the artist's face to reduce the appearance of craquelure. There has otherwise been no major intervention and the painting is in very good condition.
"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 picture is an example of 'freundschaftsbild', literally 'friendship-painting' which depicted two or more artists together, a popular motif in German art from the late 18th and the 19th Century.1 This work by Weiss repeats the composition of a painting (also on zinc and dated 1771) by Christian Winck (1738–1797), in which he depicted Georges Desmarées, the Swedish-born first painter at the court of Munich, in the act of painting a portrait of Winck himself.2
Bartholomäus Ignaz Weiss was born in Munich and began his career in a porcelain painter at the Nymphenburg factory. He later became the miniature painter to the Bavarian court and a prolific engraver and etcher. He was elected a member of the Munich Academy in 1770.
Bartholomäus Ignaz Weiss was born in Munich and began his career in a porcelain painter at the Nymphenburg factory. He later became the miniature painter to the Bavarian court and a prolific engraver and etcher. He was elected a member of the Munich Academy in 1770.
1. For an exhaustive discussion on the subject, see K. Lankheit, Das Freundschaftsbild der Romantik, Heidelberg 1952.
2. Munich, Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, inv. no. L540.