Oil on canvas
Germany, 1898
Caspar Ritter (1861-1923) – Swiss portraitist and painter of nudes and genre scenes
Signed and dated “Casp. Ritter 1898“ lower right
Inscribed “KUNO FISCHER“ upper left and “AETATIS SUAE 70“ upper right
Dimensions: 115 x 85 cm
Caspar Ritter is well-known for his expressive portrait paintings. Portraits by the artist fetch up to €13,000 at international auctions

The present portrait of a gentleman is a work of Caspar Ritter and depicts the German philosopher Kuno Fischer (1824-1907) at the age of 70. The sitter is shown with an intent glaze, almost engaging dialogue with the viewer.



Kuno Fischer was one of the major German philosophers during the 19th century and conducted the Faculty of Philosophy at the Ruprecht-Karls-University in Heidelberg. His main writing, “Geschichte der neueren Philosophie“ (1852-1901), influenced well-known personalities such as Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900).



The painting appears in good condition considering its age. There are light framing marks. A restored area in the central right part of the image can be found, here on the revers with canvas patch. Minor retouching can be seen in the upper right. The portrait is signed and dated “Casp. Ritter 1898“ lower right. The work is also inscribed “KUNO FISCHER“ upper left and “AETATIS SUAE 70“ upper right. The wooden frame shows some traces of use and measures 125 x 94.5 cm. The measurements of the stretcher are 115 x 85 cm.



Caspar Ritter (1861-1923)

The Swiss painter Caspar Ritter began his artistic training at the academy in Winterthur, which was followed by his apprenticeship at the Munich Academy of Arts. In 1887/88, he taught the class of figure painting at the Städel in Frankfurt. Finally, he was appointed professor for portrait painting at the Academy in Karlsruhe. His works belong to many private collections and can be found at the Kunstmuseum Winterthur.

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