Wilhelm Kuhnert was born to a family of officials who hoped that he would pursue a career in trade; however in 1883 he moved to Berlin to study under the animal painter Paul Meyerheim at the Berlin Academy. In 1891 he made his first trip to Africa to sketch the animals in their natural habitat. Until that time, most artists had only studied them in captivity. This trip was an epiphany for the young artist who, from then on, traveled extensively through Africa, the Orient, India, and Ceylon, returning only occasionally to Berlin. The paintings produced in his studio in Berlin on these visits were based on the numerous sketches he had made abroad. Kuhnert was a passionate big game hunter, indeed his gravestone read "Wilhelm 'Lion' Kuhnert," and his respect for the power and beauty of his subjects is clearly displayed in their commanding and sensitive portrayal. Terry Wieland writes, "...no one painted African animals like Wilhelm Kuhnert. It is an opinion that is widely shared among Africa's professional hunters, men who know the animals individually and fondly and who have little tolerance for misrepresentation." (T. Wieland, "Wilhelm Kuhnert: in search of authenticity he gave us final, fleeting glimpses of Africa untamed and vast, 'Wildlife Art News', July/August 1991, p. 46).

Many of Kuhnert's paintings were lost or destroyed in the confusion following World War II. Hansjörg K. Werner, the artist's grandson, has suggested that this painting may have come to America after the War. According to him, this painting was first illustrated through Franz Hanfstängel and many copies by other artists of the work were later produced from this illustration.

We are grateful to Hansjörg K. Werner for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.