- 44
Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix
Estimate
4,000 - 6,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix
- Fine portrait of Mendelssohn's cousin Alexandrine Mendelssohn by the artist Eduard Magnus
- oil on canvas
executed in pastels, with highlights in white gouache
24.5 x 20.5cm, on paper, contemporary gilt-wood frame, glazed, overall size c.36.6 x 30cm), with two nineteenth-century contemporary inscriptions on labels to verso, identifying the sitter and the artist: "Alexandrine Mendelssohn den 15 ten August 1838" and "Andenken von den Großeltern Mendelssohn 1880. Bild deiner Mutter als Kind von Prof. Ed. Magnus mit handschrift deiner Urgroßmutter", [Berlin, 1838]
24.5 x 20.5cm, on paper, contemporary gilt-wood frame, glazed, overall size c.36.6 x 30cm), with two nineteenth-century contemporary inscriptions on labels to verso, identifying the sitter and the artist: "Alexandrine Mendelssohn den 15 ten August 1838" and "Andenken von den Großeltern Mendelssohn 1880. Bild deiner Mutter als Kind von Prof. Ed. Magnus mit handschrift deiner Urgroßmutter", [Berlin, 1838]
Provenance
The contemporary inscription on verso (1838) was written by Felix's aunt Henriette, née Meyer (1766-1862), Alexandrine's grandmother--this according to the later explanatory inscription addressed to Alexandrine's daughter Mary Horsfall (1863-1923), from whom this portrait has come down by direct descent.
Literature
L. Gläser, Eduard Magnus : ein Beitrag zur Berliner Bildnismalerei des 19. Jahrhunderts (Berlin 1963), no.47.
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Alexandrine Mendelssohn (1833-1890) was the granddaughter of Felix Mendelssohn's uncle Joseph (Abraham's elder brother). The composer and his sister Fanny were quite close to Alexandrine and, on 14 February 1838, the latter wrote to Felix reporting that her husband Wilhelm Hensel had just done "a very lovely drawing" of her and her two sisters Marie and Margarethe. Eduard Magnus (1799-1872) was the leading portrait painter in Berlin, who made well-known portraits of Felix and Cécile Mendelssohn in 1845, as also the classic portrait of Jenny Lind.