Anonymous

Untitled (Indian Cook on the So-Called Stand Knife)

VAT reduced rate

Auction Closed

September 30, 03:29 PM GMT

Estimate

8,000 - 12,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

Property from a Private Collection, Berlin

Anonymous

Untitled (Indian Cook on the So-Called Stand Knife)

Oil on canvas

Bearing a distressed label written by Franz Reuleaux on reverse

51 x 38.7 cm. (20 ⅛ × 15 ¼ in.)

Painted circa 1879

Commissioned by Sir Edward Charles Buck from an Indian artist, 1879

Gifted to Franz Reuleaux at the Melbourne International Exhibition, 1880

Estate of Franz Reuleaux, Berlin

Acquired by the present owner from a German collection, 2024

Sir Edward Charles Buck (1838 - 1916) was a senior British civil servant in India and a leading figure in agricultural reform. He served as Secretary to the Revenue and Agricultural Department and was known for supporting Indian arts and rural industry. Buck was knighted in 1886 and made Knight Commander of the Star of India in 1897.

Franz Reuleaux (1829 - 1905) was a German mechanical engineer and a leading theorist of kinematics. He served as director of the Berlin Technical Academy and represented Germany at numerous international exhibitions. He is best known for the Reuleaux triangle and for advancing the study of machine motion.