威廉·布呂克

King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia (1770–1840);

Thence by descent to a member of the ‘Haus Preussen’.

Berlin, XXX Kunstausstellung der Königlichen Akademie der Künste, 1828, no. 127;

Berlin, Nationalgalerie, Ausstellung deutscher Kunst aus der Zeit von 1775-1875, 1906, no. 192, reproduced;

Berlin, Berlin Museum, Stadtbilder: Berlin in der Malerei vom 17. Jahrhundert bis zur Gegenwart, 19 September – 1 October 1987.

U. Thieme and F. Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, Leipzig 1999, p. 96.

The canvas has not been lined. There is some very fine scattered craquelure in the sky, however this is only noticeable upon close inspection. Ultra-violet light reveals one small spot of retouching to the left of the signature in the lower right corner, one circa 6 x 6cm area in the sky in the upper left (patched on the reverse) possibly addressing an old repair, and some other minor isolated spots. This picture is in good condition and ready to hang. Presented glazed in a decorative gilt frame with a nameplate. Colours are brighter than in the catalogue illustration.
"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."

Standing on Berlin’s opera square, today’s Bebelplatz, Wilhelm Brücke painted a detailed view of two of the most interesting buildings on Berlin’s main boulevard Unter den Linden – the Zeughaus, the arsenal, and the Neue Wache, the new guard-house, with a glimpse of the castle on the right. In the foreground, he shows a merchant carrying casts of busts and statues, amongst them those of King Frederick William III and Queen Luise.

The Zeughaus was built in 1695 under elector Frederick III in the baroque style and was used as an armoury until it was turned into a pantheon of the Prussian army in 1871, the foundation year of the German Reich. It is the oldest surviving building on Unter den Linden and since the re-unification of Germany has housed the German historical museum. King Frederick William III, who preferred residing in the Kronprinzenpalais, the Crown Prince’s palace, had a new guard-house flanked by a chestnut growth designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel in the neo-classical style. In addition to the practical purpose – a guard change is shown in the picture – it was intended as a monument commemorating the wars of liberation against Napoleon I. It was inaugurated in 1821 and flanked with the statues of generals von Scharnhorst and von Bülow. With the end of the German empire in 1918 the building lost its practical function as king’s guard and remained out of use until 1930 when it was repurposed by Heinrich Tessenow as a site of commemoration for the fallen of the World War. Damaged in the Second World War, re-built and twice rededicated under the GDR regime, after the German re-unification it was finally built back roughly to its 1930s state and dedicated to the victims of war and tyranny. It remains Germany’s central commemoration site and with the exception of the removed statues the view of the buildings is today much the same as it was in 1828.