Rudolf Lehmann (1819-1905)
| Artist Name | Rudolf Lehmann (1819-1905) |
|---|---|
| Title | Portrait of a Gentleman |
| Description | This handsome British 19th century portrait oil painting is by noted Artist Rudolph Lehmann. Lehmann was born in Germany but settled in the United Kingdom in 1866. The portrait is a generous head and shoulders of a gentleman against a dark background, in semi profile but turning to look at the artist/viewer. His arms are folded over a black coat. He has grey hair and a full beard and striking blue eyes. His facial features are beautifully illuminated and detailed. This is a lovely British Victorian portrait oil painting and an excellent example of Lehmann’s work. Signed lower right. |
| Provenance | London estate. |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Size | 25 x 30 inches |
| Frame | Housed in a gallery frame. Framed size is 37 inches by 32 inches and in good condition. |
| Condition | Good condition. |
| Biography | Wilhelm August Rudolf Lehmann (1819, near Hamburg -1905, in Bushey) was a German-English portraitist and author. He moved to the United Kingdom in 1866. Lehmann was born in Ottensen (now part of Hamburg) in the Duchy of Holstein, the son of painter Leo Lehmann. He and his elder brother Henri Lehmann studied in Paris at the École des Beaux-arts, in Rome, and with the painters Peter von Cornelius and Wilhelm von Kaulbach. Lehmann's major painting, The Blessing of the Pontine Marshes by Sixtus V was shown in Paris in 1846 and bought by the French government. In 1866 Lehmann settled in London, became a British citizen, and painted his best-known portraits. He married Amelia Chambers, daughter of the Scot author and naturalist Robert Chambers. Amelia's sister Nina married Lehmann's younger brother Frederick, and the extended social circle of the two couples included Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Robert Browning, Lord Leighton, and other prominent figures. In 1896, a number of his engraved portraits were collected and published as Men and Women of the Century. On 27 October 1905, he died at Boumemede, Bushey. He was buried in Highgate cemetery. Lehmann exhibited more than 100 paintings at the Royal Academy between 1851 and 1904. |
| Price | £2000 |
