Attributed to Marquard von Leoprechting(1839 Straubing - 1897 Munich). Family scene. Pencil and pen-and-ink drawing, 17,2 x 21,5 cm (visible size), 29,8 x 34,8 cm (frame), inscribed on verso. Framed under glass.
- Family dining pleasures-
The drawing shows a family gathering around a table. This is not a representative family picture, but an intimate glimpse of everyday life with its casual, characteristic actions, as popularised by Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki in his Cabinet d'un peintre (1771). The humorous yet conciliatory tone of the Berlin artist is also evident here. The elderly lady with the eagle's nose leans piquantly to one side in the face of the clumsily grasping boy beside her, while the woman embedded in the interior carving smiles at the viewer. At the right end of the panel, the artist may have portrayed himself. He looks at the servant. The older girl opposite has already turned her attention to the feast being prepared. It is precisely this wealth of incidental relationships, which contribute to the characterisation of each individual, that gives the picture its vividness. A similar depiction can be found in the lithographs Sketches from Cadette Life and Sketches from the Campaign of 1866.
About the artist
Marquard Freiherr von Leoprechting studied at the Munich Academy under Wilhelm von Dietz and became famous for his humorous drawings.
Selected Bibliography
Ulrich Thieme, Felix Becker: Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, Bd. 23, Leipzig 1929.
