A charming early 19th-century portrait of the clarinet virtuoso, Johann Heinrich Helfrich (1795-1870). The details are exquisite and it’s been painted very finely.

Helfrich was active between 1821-1834 and sat for this portrait in 1826. The artist, Bernhard Dietrich Funke (1799-1837), has captured the expression of a young man at the start of his promising career.

Funke was primarily known as a court painter and two of his works are held at the Bremen Museum.

The painting is signed/dated in the lower right and housed within a later frame.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 14” x 16” / 36cm x 41cm
Year of creation: 1826
Provenance: Poland
Condition: Craquelure. Paint loss around the edges. Minor restorations.