Lot 1575 Dα

This piece is a study for the painting "Schwere Wahl", which was already purchased by the Städtische Galerie Magdeburg a year after its creation (cf. exhib. cat. „Ferdinand Brütt 1849-1936. Erzählung und Impression", Frankfurt 2007, p. 235, no. 1886.1, fig. 7, p. 25). As the painting has been lost since WWII, this study holds particular importance for the motif, although it shows a number of variations to the finished work. For example the slightly leant over man in the left edge of the image was left out of the painting, as was the chandelier, which was replaced with a modern version, and some of the faces, gestures and figures were also changed slightly. Both the lost painting and the study were carried out during Ferdinand Brütt's time in Düsseldorf, and present a fine example of the artist's more humorous works.