(Suwalki 1849–1915 Munich)
The Polish Postman (Pocztarek), signed A. Wierusz-Kowalski, oil on canvas, 130 x 181.5 cm, framed, (GG)

Provenance:
Private Collection Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, acquired at the Glaspalast in Munich (no. 840) in 1909, until 2014;
Ketterer Kunst, Munich 24 May 2014, lot 222;
Sotheby’s London, 21 May 2015, lot 43;
European Private Collection.


Exhibited:
Munich, Glaspalast, Internationale Kunstausstellung im königlichen Glaspalast, 1909, no. 840.

We are grateful to Dr. Eliza Ptaszynska for kindly confirming the authenticity on the basis of a photograph.

Alfred von Wierusz-Kowalski, one of the most celebrated Polish painters, studied at the Warsaw School of Drawing. He continued his studies in Dresden and Prague. He then travelled to Munich to study at the Academy of the Fine Arts and in the private studio of Josef von Brandt (1841-1915), which became a gathering place for Polish artists.
The present lot depicts a horse galloping across a plain with a newlywed couple sitting in a carriage. He captures a moment of tenderness between them. It is a superb example of Kowalski’s wedding subjects.
Alfred von Wierusz-Kowalski is best known for his scenes depicting traditional Polish country life with figures in the snow. Central to most of his compositions, the horse is depicted as a steadying force and a companion. He remained in Munich for much of the remainder of his life.