The Orientalist Sale

ERNST KOERNER | THE TEMPLE OF KARNAK

Lot Closed

April 7, 01:40 PM GMT

Estimate

30,000 - 50,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

ERNST KOERNER

German

1846-1927

THE TEMPLE OF KARNAK

signed and dated Ernst Koerner 1889 lower left; inscribed in German on a label on the reverse

oil on canvas

77 by 56cm., 30¼ by 22in.

Please note that consumer cancellation rights do not apply to this lot.

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Sale: Leo Spik, Berlin, 30 March 2017, lot 107

Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

The Temple of Karnak is seen through the towering obelisk and the unfinished pylon, both of which are decorated with an intricate web of hieroglyphs. The towering ruins are radiant in the blazing sunlight, accentuated by the contrasting blues and earthen yellow tones of the sky and surrounding structures.

The area around Karnak was thought to be one of the most sacred places, where the god Amun would interact directly with the people of the Earth and where priests had more power than the Pharaoh and commanded the respect of the rulers of Egypt.

The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Prof. Dr. Ernst Frideryk Konrad Koerner, great-grandson of the artist.