This expressive early 20th-century oil painting by German artist Emil von Varennes-Mondasse (1881-1949) depicts a landscape with cattle and dramatic sky.

Little is known about the career of Varennes-Mondasse, which is unusual given his ability. He trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and was the grandson of painter Johann Voltz (1817-1886). Alongside his artistic endeavours, later in life, he inherited the family estate at Penzing Castle in Bavaria. It’s believed he was of Huguenot descent.

Here, in this rare piece from 1910, he’s captured a turbulent sky above a rugged pastoral landscape. An inscription on the reverse refers to a ‘Thunderstorm Mood’ and the ground seems particularly sodden. Working quickly, he’s daubed the cattle in with a few careful marks and the reflections are particularly masterful. It’s such a shame that he didn’t produce more work as this is reminiscent in many ways of studies by the French Barbizon School painters who were the first to truly embrace working outside

Signed in the lower right and held within a splendid gilt frame.

Medium: Oil on panel
Overall size: 13½” x 8½” / 34cm x 21cm
Year of creation: 1910
Labels & Inscriptions: Inscribed and dated on reverse.
Provenance: Private collection, Germany.
Condition: Artwork presents well. Frame with some light wear.

Emil von Varennes-Mondasse

Emil von Varennes-Mondasse was an accomplished German landscape painter. He trained at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich and was the grandson of animal and landscape painter Friedrich Johann Voltz (1817-1886). In 1934, he inherited Penzing Castle in Bavaria. It’s believed that he was of Huguenot descent.

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