Antique German Miniature Oil Painting Alpine Bavarian Army Soldier Portrait by Emil Karl Rau, 1898

Details

Description

A good late 19th century miniature oil on panel figurative landscape oil painting on panel, depicting a young man in … Read more A good late 19th century miniature oil on panel figurative landscape oil painting on panel, depicting a young man in uniform in a Bavarian Alpine landscape, by the celebrated German artist Emil Karl Rau (1856-1937). The painting dated 1898.

Emil Rau painted wonderful very skilled romantic genre scenes, almost exclusively traditional German Alpine views of idyllic countryside settings, with rosy cheeked figures in meticulously detailed traditional German and Bavarian clothing.
This finely painted miniature gem displays all of the qualities noted above, it depicts a handsome young man in uniform walking through a pastoral Bavarian landscape. His hat raised high above his head, a travel bundle slung over his shoulder with a stick and traditional cloth wrap, a genuine "Full of the Joys of Spring" look on his face. The painting evokes the spirit of the "Wandervogel Movement", which encouraged young urban people to return to nature and trek through the countryside.
The painting is housed in the original gilt-wood frame, it has Emil Rau's label to the rear with the dedication "Grüss di Gott, Lisel!" (God Bless Lisel!) which in German is a diminutive for Elizabeth.
Condition is very good and this lovely painting is ready to hang on your wall.

Artist Biography
Emil Karl Rau (1858-1937) was a prominent German genre painter. He achieved wide recognition for his highly detailed, romanticized depictions of everyday life in rural Germany, specifically capturing the traditional culture and pastoral lore of the Alpine and Bavarian regions.
Emil Karl Rau (1858–1937) was a German genre painter celebrated for his romanticized depictions of everyday life in rural Germany. Born in Dresden, he studied at the Dresden Academy before settling in Munich. Today, his pastoral paintings can be found in collections like Munich's Lenbachhaus.
Rau studied under masters like Leon Pohle and Ferdinand Wilhelm Pauwels in Dresden, and Alexander Wagner and Wilhelm von Lindenschmit in Munich. Though educated in the Lindenschmit School, he rejected progressive artistic trends and instead focused on traditional Bavarian and Tyrolean subjects. His artwork often features rosy-cheeked peasants in traditional garb.
Works by the artist continue to be traded at major auction houses, with paintings realizing prices of up to $34,000 at auction houses like Dorotheum in Vienna See less