(Vienna 1806–1890)
Large bouquet of flowers with butterfly, signed, dated A. Hartinger fec. 1834,
oil on panel, 53.5 x 40.5 cm, framed, (Rei)

Provenance:
Sotheby‘s, New York, 29 October 1992, lot 1;
Im Kinsky, Vienna, 2 March 2010, lot 1;
Private Collection, Vienna.

As an artist, Anton Hartinger falls wholly within the tradition of Viennese floral painting. His tutors included Sebastian Wegmayr, and the influence of the Biedermeier tradition is clear to see. In his work as a “Korrektor” (reviser) at the Academy, of which he was a member until 1851, he also created numerous representations of flowers and plants for scientific purposes. He also devoted himself to the depiction of fruit still lifes. He established his own class for floral painting at the Academy in 1812, which, along with the increasing scientific interest in botany, played a key role in the foundation of this subject. The first generation of Biedermeier Viennese floral painters were still indebted to the Dutch masters in terms of painting style and colour selection. However, the younger generation, which includes Hartinger, increasingly distanced themselves from these Dutch models. As shown in this painting up for auction, the flowers are arranged loosely, and the dark background gives way to a landscape in the distance. The cloudy sky creates an atmospheric effect.