Lot Essay
Famous for his dramatic lighting effects, which earned him the sobriquet Feuermüller ('Müller of Fire'), this night scene, lit by the flames of a torch, is the epitome of Moritz Müller's style.
Here the famous Tyrolean freedom-fighter, Andreas Hofer, is seen in the final moments before his capture by French troops. His proud, rugged figure towers above his wife who is praying for mercy, and his son who clings to him for protection. Standing in the snowswept entrance of his mountain refuge, unmoved by the onrushing troops, Hofer's aura of dignity momentarily appears to unsettle the French soldiers. In the foreground, almost completely obscured by the shadow of his own torch, stands the man who betrayed Hofer. He holds his head in shame, realising the gravity of his action.
Müller moved from Dresden to Munich in 1830 and from then on found a rich source of inspiration in the life and history of the Alpine region.
Andreas Hofer was of particular interest to Müller, as he embodied the ambitions and dreams of romantic national sentiment. Originally an innkeeper, Hofer became involved in the successful Tyrolean uprising of 1809, following which he proved his battle skills in defeating the Bavarian and French armies at Mount Isl, and then the Saxons in the Eisacktal. Hofer subsequently became Regent of Tyrol. After Austria again renounced Tyrol at the Peace of Schönbrunn (14 October 1810), Hofer continued his struggle. He was, however, finally betrayed to the French and executed.
Hofer was also the subject of another work by Müller entitled Andreas Hofer auf der Kellerlahn bei Passeyer (see Boetticher, op. cit., p. 105, no. 41).
Here the famous Tyrolean freedom-fighter, Andreas Hofer, is seen in the final moments before his capture by French troops. His proud, rugged figure towers above his wife who is praying for mercy, and his son who clings to him for protection. Standing in the snowswept entrance of his mountain refuge, unmoved by the onrushing troops, Hofer's aura of dignity momentarily appears to unsettle the French soldiers. In the foreground, almost completely obscured by the shadow of his own torch, stands the man who betrayed Hofer. He holds his head in shame, realising the gravity of his action.
Müller moved from Dresden to Munich in 1830 and from then on found a rich source of inspiration in the life and history of the Alpine region.
Andreas Hofer was of particular interest to Müller, as he embodied the ambitions and dreams of romantic national sentiment. Originally an innkeeper, Hofer became involved in the successful Tyrolean uprising of 1809, following which he proved his battle skills in defeating the Bavarian and French armies at Mount Isl, and then the Saxons in the Eisacktal. Hofer subsequently became Regent of Tyrol. After Austria again renounced Tyrol at the Peace of Schönbrunn (14 October 1810), Hofer continued his struggle. He was, however, finally betrayed to the French and executed.
Hofer was also the subject of another work by Müller entitled Andreas Hofer auf der Kellerlahn bei Passeyer (see Boetticher, op. cit., p. 105, no. 41).