Caspar David Friedrich
Greifswald 1774 – 1840 Dresden
”Feuer in einer Kirchenruine”. Circa 1800/01
Pencil and sepia ink on paper. 50 × 72 cm. (19 ⅝ × 28 ⅜ in.) Catalogue raisonné: Grummt 313. [3087]
ProvenanceFrom the family of Caspar David Friedrich´s brother, Johann Samuel Friedrich, Neubrandenburg (1773-1844), in direct succession to Friedrich Boll, Ludwigsburg (and thence by descent to the present owner)
EUR 200.000 – 300.000
USD 215,000 – 323,000
This unfinished folio is one of Friedrich’s early works. Having studied at the Copenhagen Academy of Fine Arts from 1794 until May of 1798, he arrived in Dresden by way of Greifswald and Berlin in the fall of 1798, there to settle permanently. In 1799, he created a number of detailed studies in Dresden and its environs, primarily of plants, trees, and rock formations, but also tried his hand at landscapes. Most likely, he also took time to explore what was happening on the Dresden art scene of the day. In this context, he hardly could have failed to notice the popularity achieved by Adrian Zingg and his school ...
To continue the accompanying essay by Werner Busch
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