ID 842526
Lot 695 | Johann Friedrich August Tischbein
Estimate value
€ 8 000 – 10 000
1750 Maastricht - 1812 Heidelberg
Title: A Pair: Portraits of a Couple.
Technique: Each oil on canvas.
Mounting: Relined.
Measurement: 67, resp. 68,5 x 52,5cm.
Notation: The portrait of the lady signed and dated right: Tischbein / 1803.
Provenance:
Private ownership, Germany.
The painter of this double portrait does not content himself with just capturing the physicality of the depicted persons as precisely as possible. Rather, he explores them as individuals, in their gender roles and in their inner state as a newly married couple. Man and woman are each assigned their own pictorial space. The young bridegroom turns slightly towards his bride, while his thoughtful and observant gaze is directed towards the viewer. His spouse faces fully towards the audience. She wears a plain pink gown with a wide-cut décolleté covered only by a very fine stole of white tulle - as delicate as the young woman herself. Her neck appears bare and vulnerable. Unusual is the renunciation of any jewellery. Youth is her adornment, her rosy cheeks, red lips and gentle, dark eyes revealing an inward gaze. This strong introspection is typical of the period of sensitivity, in which the bourgeoisie was not ashamed of its feelings, but showed them openly as part of their personality. The light colouring and the soft, flowing paintwork emphasise the couple's sensitive appearance. She is at the transition from young girl to woman - he, in turn, must now assume responsibility as a husband. Thus the portrait appears as an allegory for the transition of the ages: marriage is accompanied by the farewell to youth and the beginning of adulthood.
We are grateful to Marianne Heinz, Kassel, for confirming the attribution of the two works on the basis of a high-resolution digital photograph.
| Artist: | August Tischbein (1750 - 1812) |
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| Auction house category: | Old Masters |
| Artist: | August Tischbein (1750 - 1812) |
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| Auction house category: | Old Masters |
| Address of auction |
VAN HAM Kunstauktionen GmbH Hitzelerstr. 2 50968 Köln Germany | ||||||||||||||
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