(Freistadt 1841–1921 Munich)
The Lost Key, signed C. Kronberger, oil on panel, 32.5 x 24.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private Collection, Germany.

Compare:
Nicole Wegscheider, Hannes Etzlstorfer (eds.), Voll Humor und wunderfein. Carl Kronberger. Genrekunst zwischen Moden und Zeiten, Freistadt 2021, p. 212 (studies on the present work).

After completing his education with Hermann Dyck and Hermann Anschütz at the Academy of Munich, Austrian born painter Carl Kronberger (1841-1921) became a reputed miniature painter. Kronberger emphasized realism and naturalism, painting his subjects in a highly detailed manner, particularly genre scenes and portraits. He differed from many portrait painters of his generation through his striking facial expressions and sometimes humorous poses, choosing not to idealize his characters. As a portrait painter, he painted more folkloric subject matters, preferring to focus on models from villages and the countryside, such as artisans and farmers. A remarkable element of Kronberger’s work is the small scale on which he achieved such detail, a skill that earned him several accolades, including medals in Vienna in 1873 and Munich in 1901.

In this painting, Kronberger chose one of his recurring subject matters, and contrarily to genre painting from the previous century, he depicted non-staged personal observations. Towards the end of his life, Kronberger worked with a thickened impasto, adjusting to his era’s shift towards Impressionism. Here however, the soft and almost invisible brushstrokes give a photographic quality to his works and the architectural backdrop anchors the figure in a realistic setting.