Lot 1581 Dα

Fritz von Uhde produced a number of varying designs for his large format altarpiece with the motif of Christ as the Light of the World, which he painted for the Lutherkirche in Zwickau in 1905. This painting is presumably the first design for the entire composition, in which the details are merely hinted at through bold sketchy outlines. The depiction of space within the image also differs from the final version. The present work is most likely identical to a piece auctioned from Uhde's estate in 1911 entitled "Studie zu dem grossen Altarbilde für die Lutherkiche in Zwickau" (study for the great altarpiece in the Lutherkirche in Zwickau), however, the auction catalogue mentions a sketch of a pinewood to the reverse of the piece, which here is either missing or obscured by the fiberboard backing.