Oil on canvas
Presumably Oberstdorf, Germany, around 1910
Leonhard Sandrock (1867-1945) – German-Silesian painter
Signed lower right ‘Leonhard Sandrock’; verso inscribed on the edge of the canvas ‘Sandrock’
Label by the Great Berlin Art Exhibition of 1912 on the verso side of the stretcher; also a second hand-written label inscribed with the title
Catalogue raisonné: Dorothy von Hülsen G 96
Decorative black painted wooden frame with golden border
Dimensions: 138.5 x 170.5 cm
Good condition
The Berlin painter Leonhard Sandrock is best known for his marine and industrial paintings; his works on canvas fetch up to five-figure auction records

Leonhard Sandrock was focused on two main artistic subjects: marine and industrial depictions. The artist himself described his career as follows: ‘I began to turn towards the sailors at work, the deep-sea fishermen, pilots and tugs, who guided the tall ship upwards the Elbe [...] and across the shipyards, I gradually entered the industry, up to the mills, furnaces, steelmills and coal mines of my homeland Silesia and the Ruhr.’

This present oil painting dates to the time around 1910 and was exhibited at the Great Berlin Art Exhibition in 1912, as indicated by the original label on the verso side of the stretcher. The motif describes a view of an engine shed occupied by two steaming locomotives. The sooty smoke, the glowing coals in the front and the technical-industrial character of the motif must have deeply inspired the Impressionist painter Sandrock, who was interested in the optical reproduction of light and shadow, as well as the merging and contrasting of different colors.



The work is signed lower right ‘Leonhard Sandrock’. The canvas is verso inscribed on the upper edge ‘Sandrock’. The stretcher verso shows a label by the Great Berlin Art Exhibition of 1912 (inscribed with the exhibition number ‘4549’) and a second label inscribed by hand. Inspection under UV light reveals scattered areas of faint retouching. The frame is in good condition considering its age. The framed work measures 154 x 186 cm and the size of the stretcher is 138.5 x 170.5 cm.



Leonhard Sandrock (1867-1945)

Born in Silesia, Leonhard Sandrock already started painting at the age of five. In 1894, Sandrock moved to Berlin to work in the studio of the marine and landscape painter Hermann Eschke (1823-1900). Later, he traveled to paint port cities in Germany, the Netherlands and Italy. Further points of interest were, amongst others, the industrial districts in Belgium, Westphalia and Upper Silesia. Moreover, Sandrock portrayed the city of Hamburg very often – most of the works were created along the port of Hamburg. His residence in Berlin also had a decisive influence on the artist. Since 1872, the capital became increasingly industrialized – an aspect that is also reflected in Sandrock’s works. In the tradition of impressionist plein air painting, Sandrock also devoted himself to the depiction of light phenomena. Within the circle of Max Liebermann (1847-1935), he joined the painters of the Berlin Secession. In this context, the art critic Max Osborn praised him in 1912 as ‘one of the strongest and most promising talents of the Berlin painters’ guild’. (cbo)

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