This late 19th-century oil painting by German artist Hermann Schmiechen (1855-1923) depicts a girl wearing a white dress with blue sash and large wide-brimmed straw hat.
Schmiechen was a distinguished painter of portraits, figures and landscapes. Born in Neumarkt, Prussian Silesia, his early tuition was undertaken at the Royal Academy in Breslau under the astute guidance of Albrecht Bräuer, before he enrolled at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, studying under Eduard von Gebhardt and Julius Roeting. This was followed by further studies at the illustrious Académie Julian in Paris.
With such a cornucopia of academic nous, the young painter was destined for a fruitful career. In 1878, he produced his first portrait of significance - a sensitive rendering of the dramatic soprano, Lillian Nordica. With her left hand clutched to her heart, her gentle expression is reminiscent of a doting mother looking upon a child. It’s sincere, gracious, and affectionate. Schmiechen was now recognised as an artist of note and numerous patrons clamoured for his attention.
In 1883, quite a year, he travelled to London at the behest of Queen Victoria to produce portraits for the aristocracy. These included Royal commissions and his depiction of H.R.H. the Princess Frederica of Hanover was shown at the Royal Academy. Around the same time, he became associated with the Theosophical Society and its co-founder, the mystic, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. It was via the Society that he created two works, which remain a topic of much interest and scholarly debate. At his London studio, he painted images of Mahatma Koot Hoomi and Mahatma Morya - "Masters of the Ancient Wisdom". They weren’t present for the sitting, instead, likenesses were conveyed to him psychically. He was a convert and numerous meetings were held at his home.
By 1891, he moved into a splendid townhouse at 7 Cromwell Street, Kensington - the former residence of Sir John Everett Millais. The census of that year lists five staff including a footman and a German cook. He knew Millais well and attended his daughter’s wedding reception. Firmly entrenched in the ‘right’ circles, his diary was rarely empty.
When into his mid-40s, he moved to Charlottenburg, near Berlin, and his last painting of note was a commission to depict Kaiser Wilhelm in full-dress naval uniform.
Today, Hermann Schmiechen is represented in the Royal Collection Trust, Harvard Art Museums, and the Alte Nationalgalerie.
Signed/dated lower right and held within a later frame.
Learn more about Hermann Schmiechen in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 32½” x 44” / 83cm x 102cm
Year of creation: 1892
Provenance: Private collection, England.
Condition: Assessed and approved by our conservator. Canvas relined. Frame with light marks.
Artist’s auction maximum: £6,200 for ‘Mother and Her Daughter Beside Fireplace’, Oil on canvas, Sotheby’s, 1984 (lot 421).
Our reference: BRV1833
