1371 - Franz von Lenbach (1836, Schrobenhausen – 1904, Munich)

Franz von Lenbach (1836, Schrobenhausen – 1904, Munich) Bust portrait of King Albert of Saxony (1828–1902) in profile Painted around 1890, this portrait of the king features a skillfully chosen oval composition that depicts the monarch in private attire—wearing only a black suit and white shirt. Lenbach effectively rendered the expressive, character-filled face against a dark brown, neutral background through his use of light. Among the comparable works is a portrait of Albert of Saxony dated 1890, which Lolo von Lenbach donated to the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus in 1925. A representative version, also reproduced in engravings, depicting the monarch in uniform with the Iron Cross as an official portrait was (or is) housed in the museum in Leipzig. A portrait of Otto von Bismarck from the same year (1890) also exhibits clear parallels. Trained at the Munich Academy, primarily as a student of Karl Theodor von Piloty, Lenbach rose to prominence beginning in 1868 as one of the most important portraitists of figures from politics, society, science, and culture. In addition to King Albert of Saxony, he painted portraits of, among others, Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria and the German Emperors Wilhelm I and II; With his more than 80 portraits of Bismarck created between 1874 and 1897, he established the iconography of the Imperial Chancellor that remains valid to this day. It is these works that justify Lenbach’s reputation as an outstanding master painter of the turn of the century and the social standing associated with it. In addition, this exceptionally prolific painter was a favored and highly sought-after portraitist of women from high society—including the nobility and the wealthy bourgeoisie—whose beauty he knew how to capture. Oil on canvas; signed in the background on the right; 88.5 cm x 70.5 cm. Ornate historicist frame in the style of the Italian Renaissance. Oil on canvas. Signed.