Lot Essay
The Viennese painter, Hanns Pellar, was known for his distinctive Art Nouveau style, which was characterized by elegant lines, ornamental patterns, and often featured mythological and allegorical subjects. In 1911, Pellar was appointed to the Künstlerkolonie in Darmstadt by the Grand Duke of Hessen. There, he specialized mainly in portrait painting and thus, became known to an elite circle of collectors. His imaginative and luminous pictures of ladies of the high society in elegant gowns were particularly appreciated. Pellar's artistic career was part of the broader Jugendstil movement in Austria and Germany, which paralleled similar developments in art across Europe, such as the Arts and Crafts movement in England and Art Nouveau in France and Belgium.