MORITZ VON SCHWIND (1804-1871)

'DER NACHT' (THE NIGHT)
With figure studies in pencil verso
Pen & black ink on laid paper with faint traces of squaring in pencil
27.8 x 22.2 cm

PROVENANCE:
Gerhard Schack (1929–2007), Hamburg;
Private collection, Hamburg
 
 
 
 
Born in Vienna, Moritz von Schwind studied at the Academy there under Ludwig Schnorr van Carosfeld and Peter von Cornelius. After this, Von Schwind worked and travelled extensively throughout Germany, eventually settling in Munich. In 1846, he was elected a member of the Dresden Academy, later becoming a member of both the Vienna and Berlin Academies, a testament to his reputation and the high esteem in which his colleagues held him. 
 
Von Schwind did more than  most artists to develop the German ideas of Romanticism in the 19th century. His works are characterised by their powerful sense of ’Sehnsucht’ - a wistful yearning for bygone times - which was so prevalent in German art of that time. His inspiration came from historical and legendary subjects, often evoking the ideals of chivalry and leaning on a romanticised notion of Medieval times. Many of von Schwind’s best-known works were large illustrations of fairytales derived from this lore, including three magnificent cycles executed in the 1850s and 1860s.