Lot 1689 D α

"This painting is an early work by the Düsseldorf genre painter Ernst Bosch, painted in 1854 whilst he was still a pupil at the Düsseldorf Academy (1851-1856). During this time, Bosch's works were characterised by a sense of drama, which was supplanted during his career by cosier, more humorous subjects.
The present work is typical of the realist tendencies of the Düsseldorf school of painters in around 1850/60. Bosch was inspired to paint this scene by James Cooper's “The Leatherstocking Tales”, which he had read as a youth. The work depicts a settler family in America defending their home from attack by a group of Native Americans.
The painting was exhibited in the art dealership of Eduard Schulte in Düsseldorf in 1855. Under its full title “Defence of a log cabin against Indians by Colonists”, it travelled throughout various German art associations in Hanover, Halberstadt, Halle and Kassel during the year. It was acquired for the purpose of auction by the heads of the associations, and thus transferred into private ownership.
A copy of this composition by the American artist Eugene Benson can be found in the Terra Foundation in Chicago."