(Munich 1850–1920 Ohlstedt)
Portrait of Hilde as a child, signed, dated (incised) 29/I 1905, F. A. Kaulbach,
oil on panel, 45.5 x 45 cm, octagonal, framed, (Rei)

Provenance:
Kunsthandlung Max Michels, Munich
Sale Helbing, Munich, 14 April 1931, lot 23;
Kunsthandlung Norbert Nusser und Sohn, Munich, 1977;
Private Collection, Germany. Catalogued and illustrated in:
Klaus Zimmermann, Friedrich August Kaulbauch 1850–1920, Monographie und Werkkatalog, Prestel, Munich 1980, p. 90, cat. no. 92

Praised as the “prince of painters”, Friedrich August Kaulbach was one of the most significant painters of his time, and was elevated into the ranks of the nobility by King Ludwig II in 1884. His father, Friedrich Kaulbach, and his great uncle, Wilhelm von Kaulbach, had both had impressive careers as artists, and their success paved the way for Friedrich August. His friendship with the Prince Regent, Luitpold, forged over hunting, led to him taking up the role of Director of Munich’s Academy of Fine Arts. In his art, Kaulbach stayed true to the developments led by his father and great uncle, and was sceptical, at times very critical, towards new developments in painting. Adherence to tradition was of the utmost importance to him; the achievements of the Old Masters were seen as unattainable. He made use of the ideal of purity and beauty in his portraits of women, in particular. Figures of women dressed in historicising outfits of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries occur time and again in his oeuvre. However, portraits of women in society were also very popular; the decorative effect in the treatment of materiality reflects his great talent. His numerous depictions of children, often representing his daughters, as in this piece, were expressions of a happy existence. This child-like cheerfulness would have been particularly appealing to the public of the time. His works had a substantial impact on the artistic scene in Munich, and the themes he addressed were in line with the contemporary tastes of the broader public.