GUSTAV BAUERNFEIND | JERUSALEM FROM THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

Probably, estate of the artist

Son of the artist (by descent from the above)

Private collection (a gift from the above; thence by descent)

Sale: Christie's, London, 12 October 2000

Private collection, Jerusalem

Probably, Alex Carmel & Hugo Schmid, The Life and Work of Gustav Bauernfeind Orientalist Painter, Stuttgart, 1990, p. 358, no. 24, catalogued (as Jerusalem, a study in the morning; with the listing of paintings in the artist's estate, in English)

This study relates to two large scale views by Bauernfeind measuring circa 130 by 200cm depicting Orthodox Christian pilgrims climbing the Mount of Olives, with a panoramic view of Jerusalem beyond. Now in private collections, they were painted circa 1902. As Bauernfeind wrote to his friend Paul Krell, he rented a room on the mount of Olives in late 1897, so the present work may have been painted as early as then

With a reputation for being one of the most notable German Orientalists and one of the foremost painters in Palestine, Gustav Bauernfeind’s orientalist scenes are characterised by intricate representations of the Middle East, crafted with meticulous photographic accuracy. This aspect of his work Bauernfeind owes to his training in Stuttgart and later Italy as an architect.

Bauernfeind was captivated by the nature of religious expression he encountered in both the Middle East and North Africa, which led to worship and prayer taking centre stage in his oeuvre. The Wailing Wall, Jerusalem, executed in 1904, illustrates most poignantly Bauernfeind’s connection with Eastern culture. It sheds light on the religious history of Jerusalem and reflects how deeply moved Bauernfeind was by his experience of the Holy City. Bauernfeind was also fascinated by the landscape of the Middle East and produced series mainly of scenes in Jaffa, Jerusalem and Damascus, which were received with international acclaim.