3018 - ALBERT ANKER

ALBERT ANKER (1831 Ins 1910) Mädchen beim Klavierspielen. 1867. Oil on canvas. Signed and dated upper left: Anker Oct. 1867. 51 × 42 cm. Provenance: - Private collection, Switzerland. - Auction Koller Zurich, 8 December 2006, lot 3013. - Private collection, Switzerland, acquired at the above auction. A young girl is shown in profile, absorbed in playing the piano, her fingers moving deftly across the keys. Her concentrated expression suggests a certain melancholy. Painted in October 1867, the work is connected with Anker's later depictions of Polish exiles. The artist explored this subject as early as 1868 in ‘Die polnischen Verbannten’ (catalogue raisonné no. 120), returning to it in 1874 with ‘Das Lied der Heimat’ (catalogue raisonné no. 193). The latter painting depicts a Polish family forced to leave their homeland following the failed January Uprising of 1863. A young girl plays the piano while her grandfather and brother listen. Anker, who was also politically engaged, brought historical and political concerns together with scenes from the everyday lives of those affected.