64 - "Der Stammhalter" (The Heir), after Franz Xaver Simm (Vienna 1853–1918 Munich), second half of the 19th century

"Der Stammhalter" (The Heir), after Franz Xaver Simm (Vienna 1853–1918 Munich), second half of the 19th century Painted-over photograph, reworked with watercolors and opaque paints. Inscribed “F. Simm” in the lower right corner of the image; below that, a second line [illegible] obscured by the mounting. Publisher’s label on the back panel “R. Lechner’s Imperial and Royal Court and University Bookstore, 31 Graben ‘Aziendahof’ Graben 31,” listing, among other items, “Painted-over Photographs of Famous Originals in Oil and Watercolor.” An interior scene in early 19th-century costumes: an elderly man wearing a wig, holding a small child in his arms, surrounded by three women in light-colored dresses; in front of them, a carved cradle with runners; in the left background, an elderly woman. Paint layer with fine, net-like craquelure. Scattered spots across the entire picture surface, as well as yellowish stains in the lower right quadrant and deposits in the upper right quadrant. Mat is stained. Frame with craquelure; areas missing down to the wood core on the inner rail and the lower outer rail; miter joints at the visible corners have come apart. Viewing dimensions 24.4 × 18.5 cm, frame dimensions 54.2 × 46.0 cm. Condition: II–III