(Düsseldorf 1827–1905)
A Soldier telling the fishermen his Adventures on the Island of Capri, signed Osw. Achenbach, label on the reverse Kunsthandlung P. Kaeser Wien, no. 365 and Galerie Gsell, Georg Plach Vente, Wien 1872, oil on canvas, 101 x 152 cm, framed

Provenance:
Galerie Goupil, Paris, January 1868;
Kunsthandel Peter Kaeser, Vienna, acquired there on 23 May 1869;
Collection of Friedrich Jakob Gsell (1812–1871), Vienna;
his estate sale, Georg Plach Vienna, 16 March 1872, lot 232;
Collection of Carl von Lützow (1832-1897), Vienna, acquired from the above;
Direct sale of his paintings from the estate 18-22 May 1897, Vienna, Heugasse;
Kunsthandlung Schwarz, Vienna (verso faded stamp);
Private Collection, Germany;
Lempertz auction, Cologne, 22 November 1984, lot 218;
Private Collection, Germany.

Catalogued and Illustrated in:
Mechthild Potthoff, Oswald Achenbach. Sein künstlerisches Wirken zur Hochzeit des Bürgertums. Studien zu Leben und Werk, Cologne/Berlin 1995, p. 311, plate VIII.

After starting at the Düsseldorf Art Academy at a young age, German painter Oswald Achenbach (1872-1905) rapidly became a prominent figure among landscape painters across Europe. Along with his brother Andreas, the Achenbach brothers became known as the ‘Alpha and Omega of Landscape painting’. Oswald worked at a time where art was entirely academic and would be exhibited only if it fulfilled specific criteria, however he became an early member of the Düsseldorf Association, one which opposed the Academy and its rigid rules. Despite this, Oswald achieved recognition internationally, receiving various honours such as the Order of Guadalupe or the Knight’s Cross, as well as later becoming a member of the Art Academy in Amsterdam and professor for Landscape painting at the Kunst Akademie in Düsseldorf.

Achenbach travelled frequently during his career, most notably to Italy, where many of his landscapes come from. He often painted outdoors, focusing on the distribution of light and shadow by layering paint in different thicknesses. Contrarily to his brother Andreas, who focused on painting agitated and dramatic landscapes, Oswald preferred southern scenes of more lasting continuity. This painting makes no exception, as it shows a calm seaside setting, with Mediterranean architecture and vegetation. Although this painting does not lack on detail, it is most likely an example of one of his earlier works characterized by darker brown tones and less emphasis on the intricacy of the human figures.