(Vienna 1805–1845) Portrait of Ladislaus Pyrkers, Archbishop of Erlau, inscribed Ladislaus Pyrker, oil on paper, laid down on board, 32 x 26 cm, oval, framed, stamped Collection Lobmeyr, (Rei)

Exhibited: Vienna, Albertina, 1983. Provenance: Estate of the Ludwig Lobmeyr Collection, 243rd Art Auction Wawra, Vienna, 22nd October 1917 ff, no. 188; Henriette Kerpel; Alice and Arnold Kolb Collection, Vienna Compulsory sale to the art auction house “Kärntnerstraße”, Vienna, Large auction of apartment contents Vienna V., Margaretenstraße 78, 24–25th May 1940, no. 101; Sektionschef Dr Rudolf Sajovic, Vienna; 1946 Purchased by the Österreichische Galerie (Inv. no. 4030) ; 2008 Restitution to the rightful heirs of Alice Kolb. Literature: Veronika Birke, Josef Danhauser (1805–1845) , Gemälde und Zeichnungen, exhibition catalogue, Albertina, Vienna 1983, cat. no. 15. Kunst des 19. Jahrhunderts, inventory catalogue of the Österreichische Galerie in Vienna, Vol. 1, Vienna 1992, p.176. Johann Ladislaus Pyrker He was born in 1772. In 1792 he entered the Monastery at Lilienfeld and in 1796 he was ordained to the priesthood. In 1807 he was send as a minister to Türnitz, which he rescued in 1809 from destruction by the French. In 1811 he became the Prior and 1812 Abbot of the Lilienfeld monastery. Greatly valued by Emperor Francis I for his abilities, he was appointed Bishop of Zips in 1818, Patriarch of Venice in 1821 and Archbishop of Erlau (Hungary) in 1827. He died in Vienna in 1847. His most famous works are the poetic epics „Tunisias“ and „Rudolphias“. He was also known as the „Homer of the Hapsburgs“ because of the verses he wrote in classical hexameter. Invited by Pyrker, Danhauser travelled in 1826 from Vienna to Venice. There Danhauser studied the great Venetian masters, especially Titian and Veronese. In his letters he shared his thoughts about painting, the theory of which he studied in great detail. Pyrker advised him repeatedly to persevere with the study of drawing. When, in 1829, Pyrker took the decision to replace the old cathedral church in Erlau with a new church, he commissioned the painting for the high altar from Danhauser. However, in the following years Pyrker and Danhauser must have become estranged, for the relationship with Erlau lapsed noticeably. (Cf. Birke, Danhauser. cit.op., p.28).