1523
„Portraits of Franz Freiherr von Leithner and his wife Nina Leithner“
1843
oil on panel; framed
each 39,5 x 31,5 cm
female portrait: signed and dated on the lower right, above the dress: Waldmüller 1843
Provenance
Christie's London, 29.11.1985, no. 82;
Kunst and Antiquitäten C. Bednarczyk, Vienna;
1986 acquired above, since then private collection, Austria
Literature
Bruno Grimschitz, Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, Salzburg 1957, p. 329, no. 582 "Bildnis eines sitzenden jungen Herrn" (BW-ill.), p. 334, no. 628 falsely as "Bildnis einer Erzherzogin in hellblauem Kleide" (BW-ill.);
Rupert Feuchtmüller, Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller. 1793-1865. Leben, Schriften, Werke, Vienna/Munich 1996, p. 486, WV-no. 686 and 687 (BW-ill.)
Two photo expertises by Dr. Rupert Feuchtmüller, Vienna, October 20th 1986, are enclosed.
Estimate: € 30.000 - 60.000
Realized price: € 41.600 (incl. fees and Austrian VAT)
Hammer Price: € 32.000
Auction is closed.
Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller is undoubtedly one of the most important Austrian artists of the first half of the 19th century. Unlike anyone else he understood how to capture the principles of the Biedermeier period in his paintings whilst overcoming them with his revolutionary claim to capture reality. The high nobility, the imperial family and the bourgeoisie were among his early clients and from the 1820s Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller became one of the most sought-after and productive portraitists of his time.
These portraits show Franz Freiherr von Leithner (1783-1855), who lead the Vienna porcelain manufactory from 1842-1855, and his wife Nina. Rupert Feuchtmüller was able to identify the sitters on the basis of portrait comparisons, using two works by Waldmüller from 1846 (WV no. 737 and 739) as examples for comparison. Seated on an armchair, with direct eye contact with the viewer, the artist shows two personalities who present themselves without any pathos - informally and naturally, with a slight smile on their lips. Their elegant clothing and refined accessories captivate the viewer with their virtuoso rendering of the different materials and perfectly demonstrate Waldmüller's mastery in this field.