Koller View 1/21

5 The contents of the letter the two young ladies are holding can easily be deduced from their expressions: only an open-hearted declaration of love could cre- ate such a magical light in their faces. In this double portrait (ill. 1), the Austrian artist Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller shows himself to be a virtuoso of light and texture. He depicts the scene as illuminated solely by the glow of a candle, but still manages to emulate the natural surfaces of the fabrics and skin in a fascinating manner. The notepaper shields the bright flame from the viewer and bathes the subject in a soft, flattering light. Waldmüller’s talent for colour and precise brush- work enables the faces, torsos, arms and hands to be depicted with almost photographic precision. The ‘Love Letter’, consigned from a private Lichten- stein collection, is one of two versions Waldmüller created at the height of his artistic career. The art- ist's mastery grew over decades through studies of old masters. He trained his eye and his style on Titian, van Dyck and representatives of the Raphael school. Waldmüller’s clients weremainly aristocrats who com- missioned copies of old masters. When painting en plein air – represented in the March auction with a view of the Watzmann peak in the Bavarian Alps (ill. 2) – he increasingly detached himself from historical models. Carl Gustav Carus’s life had many facets: he trained as a doctor, was a professor of obstetrics, dabbled in var- ious natural sciences, authored dubious philosophical theses on ‘well-born lineage’ and, finally, was a painter. He was considered an all-around genius even during his lifetime. His artistic style is imbued with the ide- als of Romanticism. Carus also shared Alexander von Humboldt’s scientific curiosity and Goethe’s passion for Italy, which is reflected in this portrait of Dante (ill. 3). Carl Spitzweg was born a generation after Carus. From the middle of the 19 th century onwards, the Orient ex- erted a strong attraction on Spitzweg, as evidenced by the increased frequency of such motifs in his work during this period (ill. 4). Like many others, he was in- fluenced by the exotic exhibits at the international and industrial exhibitions in London and Paris, which brought lifestyle, art and aesthetics – in a word, the magic of distant worlds – to Europe. 2 Preview of the 19 th Century Paintings auction on 26 March 2021 By Candlelight 1 F erdinand GeorgWaldmüller (1793–1865). The love letter. 1848. Oil on canvas. 78 × 64.5 cm. Estimate: CHF 150 000/250 000 2 F erdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793–1865). The Watzmann in Ramsau. 1837. Oil on panel. 45 × 57.7 cm. Estimate: CHF 70 000/90 000 3 C arl Gustav Carus (1798–1869). Dante, working on the ‘Vita Nuova’. Oil on canvas. 50.5 × 40.5 cm. Estimate: CHF 100 000/150 000 4 C arl Spitzweg (1808–1885). An Arab in a bazaar, seated facing left. Circa 1852/53. Oil on board. 28.7 × 22.4 cm. Estimate: CHF 30 000/40 000 4 3 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 19 TH CENTURY PAINTINGS Karoline Weser weser@kollerauctions.com ONLINE CATALOGUES www.kollerauctions.com