After Franz Wurbel, Orientalist School Street Scene Study

After Franz Wurbel, Orientalist School Street Scene Study

An early 20th-century oil on canvas after the original by Austrian artist, Franz Wurbel (1822-1900). It depicts an animated street scene whereby a young lady on a donkey is handing a coin to a blind beggar. Behind her, a middle-aged gentleman makes his way carefully down some well-trodden steps.

The paint is applied thickly with a degree of vigour and some of the details are particularly well rendered, particularly the donkey and the expressions of the figures.

During the 19th-century, it became popular for artists from the West to travel to the Eastern world to study its sights, vibrant colours, and scenery. As a result, a new genre of painting was born, which was referred to as ‘Orientalism’. Franz Würbel is known as a painter from this school and often created fine studies of busy streets and bustling crowds - particularly in Tunisia and Egypt.

The painting is signed twice in the top right - F Wurbel J Ronacher.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 31” x 38” / 78cm x 97cm
Year of creation: c. 1920
Provenance: Germany
Condition: Recently cleaned and lightly restored. Craquelure in areas but the paint layer is stable.

Conservation & History

We care profoundly about our role as custodians and every piece in the collection has been assessed by our conservator. When required, we undertake professional restoration carefully using reversible techniques and adopt a light touch to retain the aged charm of each work. We also restore frames rather than replace them as many are original and selected by the artists themselves.

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