Lot 1672 Dα

With a handwritten label to the reverse of the stretcher: "Dem hochverehrten Meister zu seinem / 70ten Geburtstage beifolgendes Bild / von seiner lieben Gattin gemalt, / [i]n Dankbarkeit gewidmet / Familie Andreas / [Fra]nkfurt aM 3 Oct 09".
The label on the back of this work reveals that it was presented to the artist Hans Thoma on occasion of his 70th birthday by the Andreas family of art dealers in Frankfurt ("J. P. Schneider jr."). The work was painted by the artist's wife Cella Thoma, who also worked as a painter of flowers and still lifes but passed away eight years prior to the presentation of this gift.
Cella Thoma, née Bertender, came from a farming family and first posed as a model before being taught to paint by Thoma, who later became her husband. The couple married in 1877 and took up residence in Frankfurt. Cella Thoma died in 1901 at the age of 47 as a result of appendicitis.
This still life, showing just a few items of fruit and two full glasses before a dark background, is a charming example of the oeuvre of an artist and artist's wife who passed away too soon.