(Augsburg 1802–1858 Weilheim)
A Lady Resting in a Hammock, inscribed on the reverse by another hand “Peru, Für ... zu Lima, im Inneren Ihres Gartens - 1844, wiederholt skizziert 1850 zu München M. Rugendas...”, oil on paper on cardboard, 23 x 35 cm, unframed

Compare:
Portrait of Doña Luisa C. de Jiménez from Veracruz, 1831-33, oil on board, 35 x 22 cm, Museo Nacional de Historia Castillo de Chapultepec, Mexico City, 10-230082.

We are grateful to Dr. Pablo Diener Ojeda and Dr. Christof Metzger for the scholarly advice.

Hailed as ‘the painter of the Americas’ by his friend and mentor Alexander von Humboldt, the Augsburg-born artist Johann Moritz Rugendas started his career as illustrator as part of an ambitious scientific Brazil expedition led by Georg von Langsdorff in 1821. Rugendas produced a vast number of watercolours and drawings accurately recording flora and fauna, as well as his impressions of everyday life during this first encounter with America. After a short European intermezzo 1825-1831, in which the artist became familiar with modern artistic trends and learned new techniques, Rugendas embarks on a second American adventure through Haiti, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.

He produced plenty of oil sketches during his stay in Mexico, intended as a memory aid for the composition of larger works. The present lot probably falls within Rugendas’ Mexican production, as it is likely a sketch for the portrait of Doña Luisa G. de Jiménez, now held at the Museo Nacional de Historia, Mexico City.

Rugendas embodies the ideal of the romantic travelling artist, fascinated by the nature and landscapes of the New World, as well as by the customs of its inhabitants. Foreign writers, scientists and artists approached Latin America throughout the 19th century in search of new aesthetic experiences, exciting discoveries, wealth, fame, and adventures.