1374 - Carl Jutz the Elder (1838 Windschläg – 1916 Pfaffendorf)

Carl Jutz the Elder (1838 Windschläg – 1916 Pfaffendorf) Summer Chicken Yard An early, representative masterpiece created in Munich in 1862, which stands out in the painter’s oeuvre due to its extraordinary size. With this major achievement, Jutz joins the ranks of the foremost masters of animal painting. In this painting, he demonstrated his skill by bringing together the widest variety of birds one might find on a farm, depicting them in rich detail, lifelike, and highly animated, complete with their typical behaviors: A flock of ducks with bathing ducklings and adult birds; on dry land, a swarm of various ducks can be seen, along with groups of chickens including roosters of different breeds; and a pair of pigeons sits by a sandstone trough. In the middle ground, a peacock struts—a subject that would become a frequent central motif in his paintings beginning in the 1880s. He has composed all these animals within a summery landscape, depicted no less masterfully: the courtyard of an old farmhouse surrounded by trees, with a dovecote attached to the barn that harbors even more birdlife. Around 1855, Jutz met August Knip in Baden-Baden, who introduced him to animal painting. In 1861, he moved to Munich, where he met Ludwig Willroider and Anton Braith, among others, and, under their influence, devoted himself from then on exclusively to animal painting—particularly birds and poultry. His paintings exhibited at the Kunstverein in 1863–64 were already praised for their rare understanding of the nature of domestic fowl. In 1867, Jutz finally settled in Düsseldorf. Exceptionally prolific, Jutz submitted works to exhibitions in Munich and Dresden; between 1870 and 1890, he also frequently participated in the Berlin Academy exhibitions and those held at the Munich Glaspalast; and he was occasionally represented at the major Berlin art exhibitions (1893 and 1896). Jutz also enjoyed international success: in 1867 at the Paris World’s Fair, in 1879 in Sydney, where he received a medal, and in 1881 at the World’s Fair in Melbourne. His major works were particularly sought after in England and the United States, but many German collectors and museums also acquired works by the painter during his lifetime. Oil on canvas; signed and dated 1862 on the reverse, with “Munich” indicated. 67.3 cm x 83.1 cm. Framed. Provenance: Audap-Solanet-Godeau-Velliet auction, Paris, March 26, 1996, Lot 5; Sotheby’s auction, Amsterdam, April 26, 1999, Lot 171 (illustrated on p. 61); Private collection, North Rhine-Westphalia; Ketterer Auction, Munich, November 23, 2018, Lot 64 (ill. p. 35). Oil on canvas. Signed and dated 1862 with the location Munich.