(Vienna 1793–1875)
View of Bítov Castle of Count Daun in Moravia, signed T. Ender, oil on canvas, 53 x 63 cm, framed, (Rei)

Provenance:
Hagmann & Gräf art dealers, Munich, 1969;
Collection of Georg Schäfer (1896–1975), Schweinfurth;
His heirs;
Christie’s, Düsseldorf, Georg Schäfer Collection, 31 January 2000, lot 18;
European Private Collection.

Thomas Ender was one of Austria’s most important 19th century landscapists. In 1806 he entered the Academy of Art in Vienna with his twin brother Johann Nepomuk (1793-1854). While his brother specialized in historical works, Thomas showed a gift for landscape paintings.

His talent was soon discovered by Prince Metternich, President of the Academy, who gave him the possibility of working as a painter during official travel parties. This allowed him to go to Brazil during the Austrian Expedition between 1817-1818 and to Italy, where he also studied, from 1819 to 1823. During his time overseas he created more than 1,000 watercolours, sketches and drawings of the Brazilian scenery, which remain an incredible source of documentation. In 1828 he became court painter to Archduke John of Austria.
A selection of the works Ender painted for him was shown in the Albertina Exhibition ‘Von der Schönheit der Natur. Der Kammermaler Erzherzog Johanns’ in 2015.

The present works show both sides of the Bitov Castle in the Czech Republic. Perched above the river Želetavka, it is one of the oldest Moravian castles, dating back to the 11th century.
Today we can still recognize the same architectural features we see in these paintings: the two high towers between the bridge and the entrance of the building, the castle itself with the Church of the Assumption in the yard and the old tower at the back. In the staffage on the foreground of both paintings we see an artist, maybe Ender himself, drawing the castle.