Emil Hünten - Emperor Wilhelm I, Prince Otto von Bismarck, and Count Helmuth von Moltke on Horseback - image-1

Lot 347 Dα

Emil Hünten - Emperor Wilhelm I, Prince Otto von Bismarck, and Count Helmuth von Moltke on Horseback

Auction 1150 - overview Berlin
16.05.2020, 12:00 - The Prussian Sale
Estimate: 8.000 € - 12.000 €

Emil Hünten

Emperor Wilhelm I, Prince Otto von Bismarck, and Count Helmuth von Moltke on Horseback

Oil on canvas. 53 x 47 cm.
Signed lower left: E. Hünten 94..

At the behest of the Prussian crown prince, the painter Emil Hünten visited numerous military encampments and battlefields throughout the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. The scenes he witnessed there formed the basis for the highly realistic paintings that he later carried out in his studio in Berlin, which secured his reputation as a painter. The present work is a fine example of the ongoing fascination with motifs glorifying the military achievements of the young empire, as it was painted 20 years after the winter of victory over the French.

Depictions of horses were among this artist's greatest accomplishments, and he had practiced this skill since his studies at the Düsseldorf Academy under Wilhelm Camphausen. The medals, awards and place in the official Berlin cultural establishment attained by Hünten testify to the high esteem in which he was held throughout his lifetime.

Provenance

In a private collection in Munich until 1965. - Subsequently in another private collection in Munich.