Lot 1653 Dα

Paul von Franken visited the Düsseldorf academy from 1840 to 1842, and later continued his studies in Antwerp and Dresden. He took a sojourn to Paris in 1851, followed by a further trip to Kurland/Latvia in 1852, where he spent a year in Mitau. He then travelled to St. Petersburg, Moscow and Caucasia together with his wife, the portrait painter Helene Köber, returning to his home town after several years in Tiflis. He spent the winter months in Düsseldorf and the summer in Godesberg (now Bad Godesberg in Bonn). The studies made during his stay in Caucasia provided inspiration for stunning landscapes over many years. The present work was made in 1873, after Franken's return to Germany. It shows a Caucasian landscape with snow-capped mountains and a group of riders dismounting in a small village in the foreground. The entire scene is bathed in a warm, soft light which lends this charming late Romantic composition an almost visionary air.