(Palermo 1825–1856 Vienna)
Siblings at a creek, signed, dated R. Amon 1848, oil on panel, 31.5 x 40 cm, framed, (Rei)

Provenance:
Private Collection, Vienna.

Rosalia Amon, about whom very little is known, was probably one of Waldmüller’s favourite students. Although she was most famous for her still lifes, even considered to be the new Pauline Koudelka (1806–1840), she was equally skilled in representing charming Biedermeier genre scenes. In the present work she shows that she is a worthy follower of her master, who excelled in representing the rural world.
As Waldmüller had famously done before, Amon creates a sweet setting that evokes the taste of a cherished childhood memory: the elder children are fishing behind the family home and they have taken their slightly disruptive – after all, fishing takes patience – little sibling with them. All three have typical Waldmüller characteristics: the baby with its chubby, round face and the boy and girl with their delicate features.

Amon was probably inspired by another important master of Biedermeier painting for this work: the little boy, indeed, bears a striking resemblance to the Fischerknabe by Friedrich von Amerling. Painted in 1830, it was immediately bought by the Empress Caroline Augusta for the Belvedere, where it is still exhibited. Both fishers have the same nonchalant attitude, resting on one arm with their crossed legs, their open shirts almost identical.
The present painting shows us how gracefully the young artist – after all Amon was only 23 at the time – manages to absorb the remarkable influences around her.