Ferdinand Pacher [1852-1911]
German genre painter
Ter brief [The letter], circa 1880s.
Oil on panel
6 x 4-1/2 inches
Signed at lower middle left and right.

Marking type: Horizontal rectangular white label printed with handwriting.
Location: Center stretcher verso.
Text: ‘[logo of PROVIDENTIAE MEMOR] / ERNST ARNOLD / KONIEGL. SACHS. HOFKUNSTHANDLUNG / INHABER: ADOLF GUTBIER / DESDEN / SCHLOSS – STRASSE, ECKE SPORERGASSE / Pacher [handwritten] / “Ter Brief” [handwritten] / Resitzer [handwritten] / Rermbard Schiff [handwritten]’.

TITLES:
2023 Ter brief [The letter]  [as per verso label]

CONDITION:
Original untouched condition in period frame.

DESCRIPTION:
The painting on offer is a small gem by German genre painter Ferdinand Pacher [1852-1911].  It depicts a young woman with either a soldier or more likely a postal service worker reviewing a letter.

The work was originally sold by the art dealer Ernst Arnold was founded in Dresden in 1818 and pioneered the exhibition of modern art in Germany. In the late 19th century, under Ludwig Gutbier, the company began showcasing Impressionist and Secessionist art through its Kunstsalon and Galerie Ernst Arnold exhibition spaces. Major exhibitions were held of works by Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Die Brücke in the early 1900s. The gallery continued to exhibit avant-garde European art until it was forced to close in 1934 due to Nazi pressure. The Arnold Galleries in Dresden and Munich were destroyed in World War II bombings. Overall, Ernst Arnold played a significant role in introducing modern art movements to Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through its innovative exhibitions in Dresden and other locations.  In 1872, Adolf Gutbier acquired the house at Sporergasse No. 1 (corner of Schloßstraße) and ran it until 1891.

PROVENANCE:
2023 ( David Smernoff, New Haven, CT & New York, NY ) ;
after ca.1880s Private collection of [unknown] ;
after 1880s ( Ernst Arnold Galleries, Dresden, Germany ) ;
ca.1880s Ferdinand Pacher [1852-1911], the artist .

EXHIBITION:
– [none known] ;

REFERENCES:
– [none known] ;

BIOGRAPHY:
Ferdinand Pacher [1852-1911] was a German genre painter born February 20, 1852 in Bad Reichenhall, Germany and died May 14, 1911 in Munich, Germany. In 1900 he became one of the board of directors of the Munich Art Cooperative.