(Marseilles 1823–1873 Paris)
Portrait of Adolf Menzel, 1867, monogrammed G. R., inscribed with no. 249 on the reverse, oil on panel, 47.5 x 35 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private Collection Germany.

Gustave Louis Ricard was a famous painter in Parisian society. When Adolph Menzel visited the metropolis on the Seine for the 1867 World’s Fair, he also became acquainted with Ricard and they got along very well, in spite of language barriers. Menzel portrayed Ricard in opaque colours, and Ricard responded with a portrait in oil. This latter portrait of Menzel by Ricard had previously only been known about in written documents. A third painter belonging to their group, Paul Meyerheim, wrote his memories of Adolph Menzel in 1906, describing how Menzel did not appreciate Ricard’s haunting portrait of him. Menzel is said to have told Meyerheim: “You know, that wasn’t really painting at all back then, we always spent time together while you were away (Meyerheim, who had interpreted for Menzel, left Paris sooner than his friend) and never understood each other, and Ricard is such a kind, charming person that I can’t do that to him; the portrait must never be displayed!” (Quoted in: Gisold Lammel (ed.), Exzellenz lassen bitten. Erinnerungen an Adolph Menzel, Leipzig (Reclam) 1992, pp. 199-202.)
We can no longer comply with Menzel’s request. The clear frontality and the focus on the facial features have a penetrating effect and direct the viewer to his clear blue eyes. The characteristic beard and concentrated facial expressions may not have flattered Menzel, but they are striking and testify to the somewhat withdrawn temperament of the solitary Berlin artist.