Wilhelm Leibl, Portrait of a Munich gentleman.... Lot 114

Wilhelm Leibl, Portrait of a Munich gentleman. Oil on wood. (Circa 1867). 59 x 45.4 cm. Inscribed on the left: W. Leibl. probably in an O. frame. With an expert opinion by Dr. Marianne von Manstein, Munich, dated April 2023. "In this Leibl the world of portrait painters of modern times, the greatest since Rembrandt," writes Julius Meier-Graefe in his "Development History of Modern Art" (1904/1924). Even if Meier-Graefe thus ventures a gallop through the centuries, he nevertheless points out important things. For Leibl, as for the great Dutchman, the portrait was the central pictorial task in his work, and yet one would not want to call him a "portraitist." Portraits were not created as social mass-produced goods, but each individual one in extended sessions and in direct contemplation of the model. The highest technical standards met with emotional depth, without psychologizing. For Leibl, the artists of the 17th century were far more exemplary in this respect than what was taught at the Academy in his time, which also explains the stylistic proximity to Rembrandt's art. Sitting calmly opposite us here is an elderly gentleman. His head is turned to the left in three-quarter profile, but out of the corner of his eye he takes a firm look at the viewer. As is so often the case with Leibl, nothing in the composition distracts from the depiction of the man. The picture is cropped so tightly that the man can only be seen as a bust portrait. Even the hands, which Leibl likes to include in the picture and which occasionally give a hint of the sitter's social environment through a held, personal object, are not visible in this case. The name of the man depicted has not survived. Thus, in exploring the portrait, the viewer is thrown entirely on the painting. The background is in brown tones that reveal nothing of the surrounding space and also suggest little depth. The black jacket barely stands out against the background and the likewise black tie in the lapel neckline can only be guessed at. Only the collar tips of the white shirt shine out clearly outlined and give the face an accentuated frame towards the bottom. The white corresponds with the white-gray hair on the beard and temples, which together with the half bald head make the advanced age of the sitter obvious, as do the slightly wrinkled bags under the eyes and somewhat drooping eyelids. At the same time, however, the gaze is so concentrated and the nuanced incarnate is so full of life that it becomes clear how much the subject is in the midst of life. In particular, the brightly illuminated, high forehead, which is hardly crisscrossed by wrinkles and certainly not by worry lines, indicates an alert, self-assured spirit. The gaze leaves the picture scrutinizingly, without revealing on the basis of the remaining facial expressions what judgment this critical observer has come to. And yet there is a hint of melancholy in the features, coupled with benevolent sympathy. Stylistically, the portrait can be dated to the period around 1867, when various artists began to gather around Leibl, who would form the so-called Leibl Circle with his own conception of realism a little later. The eyes are modeled with fine brushstrokes and individual beard and main hairs are applied, while much of the incarnate parts, hair and clothing are applied with coarser brushstrokes. Entirely committed to the idea of "pure painting" of the Leibl circle, the artistic "how" takes precedence over the narrative "what" of the subject of the painting, which, whether with fine or coarse brushstrokes, is formed not from the line but entirely from the paint. About the provenance: Emil Waldmann states "Professor Edinger, Frankfurt a.M." as provenance in 1914 and "Mrs. Professor Edinger, Frankfurt a.M." in 1930. This probably refers to the renowned neurologist and founder of the Neurological Institute at Frankfurt University Ludwig Edinger (1855-1918) and his wife Anna (1863-1929). Anna came from the wealthy, artistic Frankfurt banking family Goldschmidt and was able to enable her husband to conduct independent research and become the father of neurology in Germany. She herself was committed to charitable causes and was active beyond the borders of Frankfurt as a women's rights activist. Dr. Marianne von Manstein Waldmann 252. Literature: Emil Waldmann, Wilhelm Leibl: An Account of His Art. Gesamtverzeichnis seiner Gemälde, Berlin 1914, supplement, cat. no. 252, fig. 222 (dated ca. 1890); Emil Waldmann, Wilhelm Leibl. Eine Darstellung seiner Kunst. Gesamtverzeichnis seiner Gemälde, Berlin 1930, cat.-no. 72 (dated ca. 1867). Provenance: Professor Edinger, Frankfurt a.M.; Mrs. Professor Edinger, Frankfurt a.M.; private property, Southern Germany. Taxation: differential taxed (VAT: Margin Scheme).