A chalk study of 12-year-old Felix Mendelssohn, in his family for generations, sold for £34,040 at auction
High res images here. Please credit Roseberys.
Old Master, British & European Pictures: Wednesday 12 March
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A chalk on paper study of the influential Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn as a child has sold at auction for £34,040, soaring over its estimate of £2,000-£3,000. Composed by German artist Carl Joseph Begas, the sensitive drawing depicts Mendelssohn, aged twelve, as a child prodigy. It has strong provenance, passed directly from Mendelssohn’s family to the former owner.
The final, full-size portrait, previously in the Märkisches Museum in Berlin, was destroyed by fire in 1945, making the present study a rare survivor. The image is one of the most enduring depictions of the composer today. It was offered in Roseberys’ Old Master, British & European Pictures sale on Wednesday 12 March and sold to a buyer in Germany.
The drawing may have also informed another oil sketch of Mendelssohn by Begas, which was given to Dr Johann Ludwig Caspar (1796-1864), author of the libretti of the operas Mendelssohn had composed when he was just eleven or twelve, and is now in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Furthemore, the drawing seems to have been the basis for a popular and widely-circulated oval-shaped engraving by August Weger (1823-1892).
Around the same time, Begas portrayed Felix‘s sister Fanny Mendelssohn, which is now in the collection of the Begas Haus Museum in Heinsberg, with the painting serving as a comparable counterpart to her brother‘s lost portrait.
Begas studied under the French painter Baron Gros (1771-1835) and enjoyed success as a portraitist. He later became a professor at the Prussian Academy of Arts, where his students included Joseph Petzl (1803-1871).
This drawing is a highly significant piece of musical history. Begas has deftly captured Mendelssohn’s solemnity and inquisitiveness, and offers a window into the world of a 19th-century musical prodigy. The price it achieved reflects the work’s importance, rarity, and unbeatable provenance, having passed directly down through the generations of Mendelssohn’s family.
Lara L’vov-Basirov, Head of Old Master, British & European Pictures at Roseberys
ENDS
High res images available for editorial use here. Please credit Roseberys.
For media enquiries please contact: aliciaglenn@roseberys.co.uk
For media enquiries please contact: aliciaglenn@roseberys.co.uk
About Roseberys:
Operating in London for more than 30 years, Roseberys Fine Art Auctioneers is a privately owned specialist fine art and antiques auction house and valuers, located in the heart of South London.
The team of world renowned experts and consultants offer both buyers and sellers a range of specialist art market services and a calendar of over 30 specialist auctions a year covering all areas of Asian Arts, Islamic & Indian Art, Jewellery & Watches, Old Master, 18th & 19th Century Art, Modern British & Contemporary British Art, Urban & Contemporary Prints & Multiples, 20th Century Art & Design, Impressionist, Modern, Post War & Contemporary Art and Decorative Arts, Fine & Decorative sales including Silver, Ceramics, Works of Art and Furniture.
The team of world renowned experts and consultants offer both buyers and sellers a range of specialist art market services and a calendar of over 30 specialist auctions a year covering all areas of Asian Arts, Islamic & Indian Art, Jewellery & Watches, Old Master, 18th & 19th Century Art, Modern British & Contemporary British Art, Urban & Contemporary Prints & Multiples, 20th Century Art & Design, Impressionist, Modern, Post War & Contemporary Art and Decorative Arts, Fine & Decorative sales including Silver, Ceramics, Works of Art and Furniture.
In addition to hosting over 30 specialist auctions annually, Roseberys offers single-owner collection sales. Recent highlights include the Mary & Alan Hobart Collection (founders of Pyms Gallery), an Important Private Collection of Chinese Imperial Porcelain and The George Farrow Collection.