3018 - ALBERT ANKER

ALBERT ANKER (1831–1910) Girl Playing the Piano. 1867. Oil on canvas. Signed and dated upper left: Anker Oct. 1867. 51 × 42 cm. Provenance: - Private collection, Switzerland. - Koller Zurich auction, December 8, 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 to Anker’s later depictions of Polish exiles. The artist explored this subject as early as 1868 in “Die polnischen Verbannten” (catalog raisonné no. 120), returning to it in 1874 with “Das Lied der Heimat” (catalog 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 active, combined historical and political concerns with scenes from the everyday lives of those affected.