The Mauerbach Benefit sale, conducted on a non-profit basis by Christie's in October 1996 for the Federation of Austrian Jewish communities, marked an important milestone in the history of Jewish restitution. In a unique auction event thousands of works of art, confiscated by the National Socialists between 1938 and 1945 and whose owners could not be determined, were offered for sale in just under a thousand lots. The sale far exceeded pre-sale expectations raising $14.6 million (9 million) to benefit needy victims of the Holocaust in and from Austria. The worldwide distribution of these funds is currently underway, organised by the Federation of Jewish Communities in Austria. This lot, as well as lot 8, has recently been made available by the Republic of Austria and are now being offered on behalf of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Austria. The proceeds from the sale of these pictures will be used to benefit needy Holocaust survivors.
Carl Spitzweg (1808-1885)

Abendfriede

Details
Carl Spitzweg (1808-1885)
Abendfriede
signed with rhombus monogram and dated '1846' (lower right)
oil on canvas, unframed
15¼ x 12¼ in. (38.7 x 31.1 cm.)
Provenance
Anon. sale, Lange, Berlin, 1925 where bought by Dr. Samuel Jacobi, Berlin.
Literature
G. Roennefahrt, Carl Spitzweg, Munich, 1960, p. 241, no. 967 (illustrated, and illustrated in colour, p. 58).

Lot Essay

Abendfriede (also entitled Das Lieblingsplätzchen or Rast auf dem Weinberg) is an example of the much admired Volkstümlichkeit at the time and depicts the typical combination of the Romantic and Realistic ideas seen throughout Spitzweg's work. Influenced by the Romantic literature and the humouristic poems of Jean Paul (1763-1825), Spitzweg painted a typical 19th century gentleman quietly enjoying his pipe, overlooking a panoramic view of a town at sunset. The painting is defined according to the ideals of landscape painting circa 1850; an extensive view with a town in the distance. Spitzweg's interest in the Middle Ages is clear in the gothic architecture.

Abendfriede is one of five versions which Spitzweg painted until the 1870s. The first version was commissioned by Carlos Fürst Auersperg, for whom Spitzweg later executed two further versions. All of these works vary in measurements, details of the town and the environment. In the present work, the tower to the left is higher than in the others and is placed slightly more to the left.

There are several sketches for this subject in museum collections: Der Raucher auf der Bank (Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen), and Kleinstädter pfeifenrauchend auf einer Aussichtsbank (Berlin, Nationalgalerie).

Sold with a certificate of authenticity and accompanying text by Professor Siegfried Wichmann.

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