Carl Spitzweg - photo 1
Carl Spitzweg - photo 2
Carl Spitzweg - photo 3
Carl Spitzweg - photo 4

Carl Spitzweg

Lot 749
17.11.2022 10:00UTC +01:00
Classic
Sold
€ 46 200
AuctioneerVAN HAM Kunstauktionen GmbH
Event locationGermany, Köln
Buyer Premium29%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 842580
Lot 749 | Carl Spitzweg
Estimate value
€ 15 000 – 20 000
SPITZWEG, CARLMunich 1808 - 1885

Title: The Schoolchildren's Way Home.
Date: Ca. 1870-75.
Technique: Oil on canvas.
Measurement: 53,5 x 31,5cm.
Lower right signed with the letter S in a rhombus.
Literature:
S. Wichmann: Carl Spitzweg. Verzeichnis der Werke, Stuttgart 2002, p. 385, cat. rais. no. 906;
S. Wichmann: Spitzweg. Kunst, Kosten und Konflikte, Frankfurt/Berlin 1991, pp. 232-257.

Provenance:
Private ownership, Germany.

Carl Spitzweg is considered the German painter and illustrator of the late Romantic and Biedermeier periods par excellence. His artistic talent was evident from an early age, as his first drawing from 1823 confirms. However, it took a long time for the young Carl to resist his father's wish to become a pharmacist. Obediently, he completed his studies in pharmacy and graduated with honours. While working in the "Löwenapotheke" in the town of Straubing, he shared a flat with actors from the theatre and painters, who brought him into contact with art. It was not until 1833 that he changed professions and became a member of the Munich Art Association in 1835. Spitzweg never attended an academy and was self-taught.
His oeuvre extends far beyond 1500 paintings and drawings. Spitzweg's style is as unmistakable as it is distinctive: it resembles a cross between elements of Biedermeier and late Romanticism. A characteristic feature is a loose and airy style of painting, which is interwoven with graphic elements.
In his paintings, as in the present one, he combines these two disciplines of art history, which have always been in competition with each other: the so-called "disegno" and "colore" - colour and drawing. In a small format, he shows us the Biedermeier lower bourgeoisie, the schoolchildren depicted here, on their way home. Surrounded by the untouched green of a gigantic forest, Spitzweg gives the painting its romantic, poetic character, which is so characteristic of him. The focus of the painting is clearly the power of nature, which nevertheless appears delicate and gentle. The adventurous and unfathomable paths of the forest dominate the depiction and envelop the painting in a pure idyll. The composition of the radiant and bright blue sky is striking. Gently, the indentation guides the eye in soft arcs through the painting until it finally arrives at the returning children. The present work is a prime example of the extremely fine sense of colour and nature that Spitzweg possessed like no other. The interplay of different moments, stylistics and technique transforms the depiction into a moment full of fairytale-like quality, romance and beauty.
In the present painting, the artist's monogram acts like a hieroglyph, following the various stages of the artist's life: It allows us - the viewers - to date the painting retrospectively. Siegfried Wichmann studied Spitzweg's monograms and signatures in detail and divided them into three phases. On the basis of this classification, the painting can be dated to the "late period", which lasted from 1860 to 1885.
Artist:Carl Spitzweg (1808 - 1885)
Applied technique:Oil
Auction house category:Paintings 19th Century
Address of auction VAN HAM Kunstauktionen GmbH
Hitzelerstr. 2
50968 Köln
Germany
Preview
11.11.2022 – 14.11.2022
Phone +49 221 92586215
Fax +49 221 92 58 62 4
Email
4FQ.4SU-3S1@Y3GR3F@
Buyer Premium 29%
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 10:00 – 17:00   
Tu 10:00 – 17:00   
We 10:00 – 17:00   
Th 10:00 – 17:00   
Fr 10:00 – 17:00   
Sa 10:00 – 13:00   
Su closed

More from Creator

Carl Spitzweg. Turks in the bazaar
Carl Spitzweg. Turks in the bazaar
€40 000
Carl Spitzweg
Carl Spitzweg
€22 000
Carl Spitzweg. Three School Girls Resting
Carl Spitzweg. Three School Girls Resting
€30 000
Carl Spitzweg
Carl Spitzweg
€50 000
Carl Spitzweg
Carl Spitzweg
€22 000
Carl Spitzweg, Umkreis. River landscape with a peasant woman on the riverbank
Carl Spitzweg, Umkreis. River landscape with a peasant woman on the riverbank
€800
Carl Spitzweg. Mann mit hohem Hut (Der Reiseführer) [Man with a high hat (The travel guide)]
Carl Spitzweg. Mann mit hohem Hut (Der Reiseführer) [Man with a high hat (The travel guide)]
€7 000
Carl Spitzweg
Carl Spitzweg
€25 000

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.