(Munich 1825–1909) Venetian Flower Seller, signed and dated L. Thiersch, 1883, Venezia, on the reverse entitled no. 227, oil on canvas, 135 x 97 cm, framed, (Rei)

Compare literature: Friedrich von Boetticher, Künstlerwerke des 19. Jahrhunderts, Vol. II,2, p.883, no. 4. Bruckmanns Lexikon der Münchner Kunst, Münchner Maler im 19. Jahrhundert, Munich 1983, Vol.4, p.251f. Ludwig Thiersch: The artist attended the München Academy from 1845 to 1848, initially studying sculpture under Ludwig Schwanthaler. Encouraged by Schwanthaler, Thiersch turned to painting and studied with Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Heinrich Maria von Hess and Karl Schorn. In 1847 Thiersch embarked on a journey to Venice with fellow pupil Karl Theodor von Piloty, and in 1848 he became a pupil in Karl Schorn’s master class. From 1849 to 1852 he resided mainly in Rome, in order to study Italian art intensively, and here he associated with artists such as Arnold Böcklin and Oswald Achenbach. In 1852 he travelled with his father to Greece and in 1855 was appointed professor of painting at the Royal School of Art in Athens. This was followed by journeys to Paris and Vienna as well as Russia. In St. Petersburg he taught at the Imperial Academy of the Arts and painted for Russian Grand Dukes. In 1864 he returned home to Munich as a much honoured and decorated artist. (Compare Bruckmann’s Lexikon der Münchner Kunst, Münchner Maler im 19. Jahrhundert, Munich 1983, Vol. 4, p. 2 1f.)