Oil on cardboard
Italy, around 1805/06
Jakob Philipp Hackert (1737-1807) – German landscape painter
Certificate by Dr. Claudia Nordhoff, Rome, from 01.02.2008
Dimensions: 22 x 29 cm
Very good condition
Provenance: Private collection, Germany
Jakob Philipp Hackert’s late work reveals a number of finely executed animal portraits, as seen in the work offered here; the auction record of an animal painting by the artist sets at around €72.000
Object is regular taxed. 19% VAT is added to the purchase price for deliveries within the EU

The present painting is a characteristic late work by the German artist Jakob Philipp Hackert and depicts the motif of a goat, a sheep and a child, barely dressed with a light fabric. Hackert was a specialist in landscape painting, but started to deal with animal portraits after 1799. The present composition presumably amends a series of sheep and goats painted in the years between 1801 and 1806. The depiction of the child suggests a biblical figure and seems to be related to the artist’s experiments of rendering his realistic landscapes a more significant framework of meaning.

The cardboard has been verso supported by a narrow strip of cardboard along the lower edge. The paint surface shows a small loss of material in the lower left corner. There are also light marks, where the frame has rubbed. Inspection under UV light reveals small areas of retouching to the animals and the child. The overall condition of the painting is however very good considering the age. The gilt frame is in good condition with small traces of age and use. The framed work measures 35 x 40.5 cm and the size of the cardboard is 22 x 29 cm. The work is accompanied by a certificate by Dr. Claudia Nordhoff, Rome, from 01.02.2008.

Jakob Philipp Hackert (1737-1807)

The Prenzlau-born Hackert began his artistic training in the workshop of his father Philipp Hackert and his uncle, a decorative painter. Since 1758, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin and in 1761 he attentioned to himself the first time with two vedutas. After traveling to Normandy and Picardy 1768, he went to Italy with his brother, where he gets in contact with the patrons of the arts Johann Friedrich Reiffenstein and William Hamilton in Rome and Naples. Hackert traveled all over Italy and earned a reputation as an important landscape painter soon. He received numerous commissions of the European nobility and in 1786 he became court painter of King Ferdinand IV of Naples. In the same year, Hackert met Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who took drawing lessons under his direction. (cbo)

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