(Verona 1856–1913 Prague)
A Battle Scene with Kaiserjäger in Pregasina (?), signed v. Ottenfeld, plaque with dedication “Ihrem Kommandanten Oberst Guido Novak von Arienti in dankbarer Verehrung die Offiziere des 1. Regimentes der Tiroler Kaiserjäger 1910–1914” and the coat of arms on the frame, label with no. 88 on the reverse, oil on canvas, 76 x 121cm, framed

The Austrian painter Rudolf Otto von Ottenfeld became famous above all for his splendidly executed battle and oriental paintings. He completed his artistic studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under Leopold Carl Müller, among others. After living in Munich (1883-1893) and Vienna (1893-1900), he settled in Prague, where he worked as a professor of painting at the academy. He travelled to Turkey, the Caucasus and the Balkans.
His detailed perception and reproduction of reality probably led to him being commissioned by the Viennese publishing house Berté and Czeiger in 1895 to illustrate the splendid national edition „Die Österreichische Armee von 1700 bis 1867“. His drawings and sketches for this are in the collection of the Museum of Military History in Vienna.
The dedication on the plaque on the frame of the present lot refers to the commander of the 1st Tyrolean Imperial Infantry Regiment, Field Marshal Lieutenant Guido Novak von Arienti (1859-1928), a highly decorated army officer in the Imperial and Royal Army. Due to his long military service, he was elevated to the nobility by Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1910 and was commandant of the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt from 1917.

Provenance:
Private Collection, Austria.