(Cologne 1806–1884 Nuremberg) Drums for the War of Independence -Young Drummer in Missolunghi, oil on canvas, 48.5 x 34.5 cm, framed, (Rei)

The painting shows a boy in traditional Greek costume by a seaside fortress. This is the city of Missolunghi, its defence ending with the destruction of the city. It is now a symbol of Greek resistance and bound up in the myths surrounding the Greek war of independence against the Ottoman Empire. The English poet and bon viveur Lord Byron was a famous comrade-in-arms to the Greeks, and died in Missolunghi.

Johann Georg Christian Perlberg received his first artistic training from his father before joining the art school in Nuremberg. He studied at the Munich Academy from 1834 onwards. Perlberg was amongst those artists who moved to Greece during the period 1832-1862 when the Bavarian prince Otto Friedrich Ludwig von Wittelsbach (1815–1867) reigned as King of Greece. Henceforth subjects drawn from the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) would become Perlberg’s favourite motifs, influencing his œuvre permanently.

Provenance: German private property.

We are grateful to Prof. Helmut Börsch-Supan for confirming the authenticity of the painting. Letter of authentication available.