Attrib. Franz Widnmann (1846-1910) - Late 19th Century Oil The Lovers

Description

This evocative late 19th-century painting attributed to Franz Widnmann (1846-1910) depicts lovers under the shade of a blossom tree where they rest and pick flowers. It is rendered with swirling impressionist brushstrokes that capture the movement of the scene and its romantic atmosphere. Signed indistinctly to the lower right. Beautifully presented in a gilt frame with delicate running patterns to the inner. On board.

Condition

Signs of wear consistent with age. Very minor discolouration to the surface. Fine craquelure and light scratches throughout. Inspection under UV light reveals small areas of restoration. Overall the artwork is in very good condition for its age. Some wear to the frame, including scuffs and small chips. Overall the frame is also in very good condition for its age.

Size

38 x 31cm (15.0" x 12.2")
Framed Size: 51 x 44cm (20.1" x 17.3")

Artist Biography

Franz Widnmann was a German painter, graphic artist, and professor, born on 6 March 1846 in Kipfenberg, Bavaria, the son of court physician Eduard Widnmann. After his family relocated to Schrobenhausen, he received his early education there and at a Latin school in Neuburg before moving to Munich, where from 1862 he studied at the drawing school of the Verein zur Ausbildung des Gewerbes and later the Kunstgewerbeschule. He matriculated at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts the same year, studying under notable teachers including Karl Theodor von Piloty, Alexander Strähuber, Hermann Anschütz, and Alexander Wagner. Widnmann began his career in decorative arts before establishing himself as a painter. His debut work, Duke Alba at the Castle of Countess Catharina von Schwarzburg, won an award at the 1873 Vienna World's Fair. He went on to receive prestigious commissions, decorating the Pringsheim Palace in Berlin alongside Karl von Piloty, painting murals for the Munich palace of Prince Leopold of Bavaria, and contributing works to Schloss St Emmeram in Regensburg. A state scholarship afforded him time in Italy, and throughout the 1880s he was almost exclusively engaged on commissions for the palaces of King Ludwig II — most notably Schloss Herrenchiemsee and Linderhof Palace — producing an extraordinary range of work from murals and stucco designs to chandelier and porcelain designs. Named Royal Professor in 1881, he was appointed professor of the life class at the Kunstgewerbeschule in 1892. Following Ludwig II's death in 1886, Widnmann turned increasingly to graphic art, drawing inspiration from earlier masters such as Alfred Rethel and Moritz von Schwind. His later work included stained glass, decorative certificates, and stamp designs for the Bavarian Post Office. Widnmann died on 30 August 1910 in Rodeneck, South Tyrol, and was buried in the Old South Cemetery, Munich.