Lotto No. 73


Caspar David Friedrich


Caspar David Friedrich - Disegni e stampe fino al 1900, acquarelli e miniature

(Greifswald 1774-1840 Dresden) and Johann Christian Adolf Friedrich (Germany 1770-1843) Self Portrait of Caspar David Friedrich, in profile towards right, c. 1805, woodcut on laid paper, 6,7 x 25,5 cm, 30 x 23,4 cm (sheet), later print 1927 (?), mounted, framed, (Sch)

Provenance: Private collection, Germany.

Literature: Ursula Meyer, Greifswalder Maler des späten 18. und 19. century. Gemälde - Graphik. Museum der Stadt Greifswald 1963, No. 61, Ill. 7; Werner Sumowksi, Caspar David Friedrich-Studien, Wiesbaden 1970, pp. 136–138; Helmut Börsch-Supan and Karl Wilhelm Jähnig, Caspar David Friedrich. Gemälde, Druckgraphik und bildmäßige Zeichnungen, Munich 1973, No.74 Ill. (with further literature); Caspar David Friedrich und Umkreis, Exh. Cat. Galerie Hans, Hamburg 2006, pp. 34–37, Cat. 8–9; Cornelia Reiter, Klaus Albrecht Schröder (Eds.), Exh. Cat. Welten der Romantik, Ostfildern 2015, p. 112, No.35.

The present woodcut with the self- portrait of Caspar David Friedrich is related to one of seven hitherto known prints which were excecuted in 1805 and may have been made shortly after the larger version of his self portrait of 1803 (Sumowski 1970, S. 136–138; Börsch-Supan and Jähnig 1973, Nr. 74).
According to Börsch-Supan the earlier sheet was cut in wood by his brother Christian (1779–1843) after a preliminary drawing by Friedrich. It is possibly connected with the production of three woodcuts “Die Frau mit dem Spinnennetz zwischen den kahlen Bäumen (The woman with the spider’s web between bare trees - Melancholy, The Spider)”, “Die Frau mit dem Raben am Abgrund” (The woman with the crow at the abyss) and “Knabe auf einem Grab schlafend” (The boy sleeping on a grave). In the 18th and 19th centuries woodcuts were used for furnishing books. Börsch-Supan therefore assumes that the woodcuts were intended to illustrate a book that remained unpublished. They may have been intended for a volume which contained poems by Caspar David Friedrich. The woodcut with the self-portrait may have served as an illustration in an author’s copy (Cat. Hamburg 2006, p. 34, Cat. 8).

The present woodcut of 1805 is smaller and more simplified compared to the earlier version and may have been belonged to an alternative illustration project. Friedrich apparently delivered several preliminary versions for the portrait, which is proved by a drawing being preserved in the Hamburg Kunsthalle (Börsch-Supan and Jähnig 1973, No. 73) The drawing depicts a slightly modified design which was not used by Christian. Christian likely experimented for the self-portrait in two styles and finally decided for the version with the finer lines in the larger format (Cat. Hamburg 2006, p. 36).

The Pommersche Landesmuseum in Greifswald preserves five further impressions of the present print. They were reprinted in 1927 after they had been forwarded to the museum together with eight woodcuts from the Friedrich family (Inv. K2/647a-e). The sheets and the printing block had fallen into oblivion for a long time until they were discovered by Sigrid Hinz in 1956 and were identified by her wrongly as a portrait of Heinrich Friedrich the brother of Caspar which was cut by Christian Adolf Friedrich (Cat. Hamburg 2006, p. 36; Sumowksi 1970, pp. 136–138; Börsch-Supan and Jähnig 1973, Nos. 60–62 and No. 74). In 1963 Ursula Meyer published the woodcut with the same identification (Meyer 1963, No. 61 Ill. 7). However, comparison with the earlier self-portrait of 1803 reveals that there is no doubt that Caspar David Friedrich depicted himself. Only few trial proofs of the portrait may have been executed. Due to the paper quality of the present sheet one may exclude the possibility of an early impression and assume that the woodcut is an impression executed in the context of the reprint in Greifswald in 1927.

Esperta: Mag. Astrid-Christina Schierz Mag. Astrid-Christina Schierz
+43-1-515 60-546

astrid.schierz@dorotheum.at

30.03.2016 - 15:00

Stima:
EUR 4.000,- a EUR 6.000,-

Caspar David Friedrich


(Greifswald 1774-1840 Dresden) and Johann Christian Adolf Friedrich (Germany 1770-1843) Self Portrait of Caspar David Friedrich, in profile towards right, c. 1805, woodcut on laid paper, 6,7 x 25,5 cm, 30 x 23,4 cm (sheet), later print 1927 (?), mounted, framed, (Sch)

Provenance: Private collection, Germany.

Literature: Ursula Meyer, Greifswalder Maler des späten 18. und 19. century. Gemälde - Graphik. Museum der Stadt Greifswald 1963, No. 61, Ill. 7; Werner Sumowksi, Caspar David Friedrich-Studien, Wiesbaden 1970, pp. 136–138; Helmut Börsch-Supan and Karl Wilhelm Jähnig, Caspar David Friedrich. Gemälde, Druckgraphik und bildmäßige Zeichnungen, Munich 1973, No.74 Ill. (with further literature); Caspar David Friedrich und Umkreis, Exh. Cat. Galerie Hans, Hamburg 2006, pp. 34–37, Cat. 8–9; Cornelia Reiter, Klaus Albrecht Schröder (Eds.), Exh. Cat. Welten der Romantik, Ostfildern 2015, p. 112, No.35.

The present woodcut with the self- portrait of Caspar David Friedrich is related to one of seven hitherto known prints which were excecuted in 1805 and may have been made shortly after the larger version of his self portrait of 1803 (Sumowski 1970, S. 136–138; Börsch-Supan and Jähnig 1973, Nr. 74).
According to Börsch-Supan the earlier sheet was cut in wood by his brother Christian (1779–1843) after a preliminary drawing by Friedrich. It is possibly connected with the production of three woodcuts “Die Frau mit dem Spinnennetz zwischen den kahlen Bäumen (The woman with the spider’s web between bare trees - Melancholy, The Spider)”, “Die Frau mit dem Raben am Abgrund” (The woman with the crow at the abyss) and “Knabe auf einem Grab schlafend” (The boy sleeping on a grave). In the 18th and 19th centuries woodcuts were used for furnishing books. Börsch-Supan therefore assumes that the woodcuts were intended to illustrate a book that remained unpublished. They may have been intended for a volume which contained poems by Caspar David Friedrich. The woodcut with the self-portrait may have served as an illustration in an author’s copy (Cat. Hamburg 2006, p. 34, Cat. 8).

The present woodcut of 1805 is smaller and more simplified compared to the earlier version and may have been belonged to an alternative illustration project. Friedrich apparently delivered several preliminary versions for the portrait, which is proved by a drawing being preserved in the Hamburg Kunsthalle (Börsch-Supan and Jähnig 1973, No. 73) The drawing depicts a slightly modified design which was not used by Christian. Christian likely experimented for the self-portrait in two styles and finally decided for the version with the finer lines in the larger format (Cat. Hamburg 2006, p. 36).

The Pommersche Landesmuseum in Greifswald preserves five further impressions of the present print. They were reprinted in 1927 after they had been forwarded to the museum together with eight woodcuts from the Friedrich family (Inv. K2/647a-e). The sheets and the printing block had fallen into oblivion for a long time until they were discovered by Sigrid Hinz in 1956 and were identified by her wrongly as a portrait of Heinrich Friedrich the brother of Caspar which was cut by Christian Adolf Friedrich (Cat. Hamburg 2006, p. 36; Sumowksi 1970, pp. 136–138; Börsch-Supan and Jähnig 1973, Nos. 60–62 and No. 74). In 1963 Ursula Meyer published the woodcut with the same identification (Meyer 1963, No. 61 Ill. 7). However, comparison with the earlier self-portrait of 1803 reveals that there is no doubt that Caspar David Friedrich depicted himself. Only few trial proofs of the portrait may have been executed. Due to the paper quality of the present sheet one may exclude the possibility of an early impression and assume that the woodcut is an impression executed in the context of the reprint in Greifswald in 1927.

Esperta: Mag. Astrid-Christina Schierz Mag. Astrid-Christina Schierz
+43-1-515 60-546

astrid.schierz@dorotheum.at


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Asta: Disegni e stampe fino al 1900, acquarelli e miniature
Tipo d'asta: Asta in sala
Data: 30.03.2016 - 15:00
Luogo dell'asta: Wien | Palais Dorotheum
Esposizione: 23.03. - 30.03.2016