Lot 6417
Franz Xavier von Pausinger (1839-1915), "Night in the Desert", Egypt(?), 1880s
Orders and Military Collectibles until 1918 | A109m | Live auction | 1500 Lots
Description
Charcoal on paper, mounted on canvas. Large-format night scene depicting a rest stop in an Arabian desert. Signed "F. Pausinger" at the bottom right (signature difficult to read). Water damage along the bottom edge; otherwise, some cracks and areas of retouching. Unframed. Dimensions: 96 x 130.5 cm. Franz Xavier von Pausinger (1839–1915) was a renowned painter from Salzburg. In 1881, he accompanied Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary on a journey to the Orient—covering Egypt and Palestine - during which the Crown Prince took a particular interest in hunting and ornithological studies. The Crown Prince's documented experiences were published that same year under the title "Eine Orientreise" (A Journey to the Orient); the book incorporated Pausinger’s illustrations and was translated into many languages. Marlies Dornig dedicated her doctoral dissertation—defended at the University of Vienna in 2016 and titled "My whole concept of the world has changed. Der Tier- und Jagdmaler Franz von Pausinger auf neuen künstlerischen Wegen anlässlich der Orientreise des Kronprinzen Rudolf im Jahr 1881" -to Pausinger’s artistic contribution to this expedition. Of the approximately 130 charcoal drawings originally in the Imperial collection, 99 are now held in the Austrian National Library’s collection of graphic arts.Condition: III Questions about the lot?
