Eugen von Blaas

Anonymous sale, New York, Christie's, 16 October 1991, lot 115;

Where purchased by Freddie Mercury (1946–1991), London;

His sale ('Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own'), London, Sotheby's, 6 September 2023, lot 8;

Where purchased by the present owner.

'[von Blaas] contrasted the decaying grandeur of old Venetian stone with fresh flowers and fruit… his young people live their lives within the old walls of a still-important city, and become links in an apparently endless chain of generations who carry on the Venetian traditions and way of life'(Wassibauer, p. 19).

No artist celebrates the romantic life of nineteenth century Venice more than Eugen von Blaas. Whilst the great titans of the Italian Renaissance and later artist travellers like Turner or Monet capitalised on the cities iconic views, von Blaas delved into the colourful daily life of its inhabitants. In the present work, a young woman delicately holds a pink rose while seated on a ledge; perhaps just gifted to her by a passing admirer.

Von Blaas’ virtuosos ability is seen equally in his treatment of the brickwork as in his rendering of the woman’s features and clothing. Everything the painter depicts is handled with the same care and attention, a precursor to the modern conception of photography. In contrast to the ease of taking snapshot photographs nowadays, in the nineteenth century capturing the moment was a largely staged concept in the studio, having little or no connection with people's lives. Eugen von Blaas, however, succeeds brilliantly in creating the illusion of a moment glimpsed.

Born into an Austrian family of artists in Rome, Eugen von Blaas’ father Karl was a renowned historical painter and professor at the Venice Academy of Fine Art, while his younger brother Julius painted military scenes and horses and, like Eugen, also became a professor at the Accademia in Rome. Detaching himself from the more serious subject matter of his father’s and brother’s compositions, Eugen is best known for his depiction of beautiful women in everyday life. These finely painted, vividly coloured canvases catered to a growing demand for coyishly sentimental contemporary genre scenes that found a ready market among the wealthy travellers and tourists visiting La Serenissima.