This charming early 19th-century oil painting by German artist Lukas Kirner (1794-1851) depicts the cloth shearer, Johann Georg Finckh (1756-1839) drafting correspondence.
The age-old craft of cloth shearing was one component of the flourishing textiles industry in the city of Reutlingen, Germany, during the 19th century. It was a technical endeavour undertaken by specialists that involved a well-versed multi-step process. Firstly, cloth was moistened and ‘roughened’ via the application of ‘hand rougheners’, which exposed the wool fibres. Secondly, it was brought to a frame and brushed to remove any foreign bodies. And finally, it was sheared using large cloth scissors. Over time, with the advent of industrialization, numerous inventions created efficiencies.
Finckh successfully navigated the cloth shearing ranks and here, when into his autumn years, he’s at the helm of his own thriving enterprise. Advertisements in the local press refer to apprentices and he probably hired numerous staff.
Finckh’s hometown of Reutlingen is a short distance from Germany’s Black Forest, a historic region steeped in craft heritage. Particularly known for its decorative woodworking, it produced scores of skilled creatives including the artist behind this work, Lukas Kirner.
Born in Furtwangen, an area known for clock manufacturing, Kirner descended from a proud line of clock face painters. It’s plausible that his early years were spent in this trade before he turned to portraiture as a full-time endeavour. In his prime, he became one of the leading local portraitists, undertaking a multitude of commissions for merchants and industrialists.
His brother, Johann Baptist Kirner, studied with the famous Black Forest expat, Franz Xaver Winterhalter, in Rome. Winterhalter often looked back fondly on his upbringing in the small village of Menzenschwand.
This fascinating snapshot into the life of a prosperous entrepreneur provides a window into a world now lost to time. When local regions embraced their rich traditions and age-old trades were passed through generations. Both the artist and sitter were products of their environment.
Lukas Kirner is represented at Augustinermuseum in Freiburg.
Inscribed on the reverse and held in a gilt frame, which could be original.
Learn more about Lukas Kirner in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas laid on board
Overall size: 27½” x 32” / 70cm x 82cm
Year of creation: c. 1828
Labels & Inscriptions: Ancestry information relating to the sitter attached to reverse.
Provenance: With the Finckh family by descent / With the art dealership Kunsthaus Schaller in Stuttgart (1957) / Private collection, France.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Craquelure in areas. The paint layer is stable. Areas of in-painting. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear.
Our reference: BRV1972
