Koester was one of the leading animal painters of the Munich school. Originally pressured by his family to be a pharmacist, Koester abandoned his studies and entered the Staatliche Kunsthalle in Karlsruhe. There he studied under the most accomplished painters in Germany such as Carl Hoff, Claus Meyer and Heinrich von Zugel.
His early pictures were genre scenes of Tyrolian folk life and landscapes, later specializing in painting ducks which would establish his reputation. In 1899 Koester exhibited his first painting of ducks in Berlin and attracted immediate attention among critics and collectors.
Dr. Ruth Stein has kindly confirmed the authenticity of this painting.