Lot 244 Dα

Carl Steffeck attended the Berlin Art Academy whilst he was still in school, and was there officially accepted in Franz Krüger's master class at the age of 19. Steffeck's lifelong preference for horse painting probably goes back to this early teachings under Krüger. After two years at the academy, he travelled to Paris for further training. There, the works of Horace Vernet in particular left a lasting influence on Steffeck, who himself was a passionate rider throughout his life.
Carl Steffek not only benefitted from important mentors such as Krüger and Horace Vernet, he was himself appointed professor at the Berlin Academy in 1859. There, his pupils included Max Liebermann and Hans von Mareés, two outstanding representatives of late 19th century German painting.
Liebermann later reported that Steffeck usually painted his small equestrian portraits in a single sitting, so that the patron could take the picture home while it was still wet.
This meticulously executed medium-sized work likely took more than a single sitting to paint. It shows Rittmeister von Wartenberg on a white horse in the grounds of his Prussian estate, which was located east of Frankfurt an der Oder in present-day Poland.