Hans Thoma (1839-1924)

The Rest on the Flight into Egypt Frankfurt, 1893-97 Lithograph  20.2 x 23.2 cm  Thoma sets this scene of the Holy Family resting within a realistic representation of rural life. The religious imagery is understated. Instead of the divine intervention of an angel, a female figure brings food to the family. The solitary poses of … Read more

David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690)

David Teniers the Younger The Bleaching Ground Possibly Antwerp, the 1640s Oil on canvas 85 x 120.5 cm The women of an unidentified town gather for the first spring wash after the long winter months. The setting is a communal bleaching ground with its wells and an open wash house to the right. This is … Read more

Adolph von Menzel (1815-1905)

A Study for ‘Contribution’ Germany, about 1884 Carpenter’s pencil with stumping 22.9 x 15.2 cm Menzel was the leading master of later nineteenth-century German art. In its deftness and subtlety of line and modelling, it compares with the life drawings of Degas, also represented in the Barber collection. The drawing is a study for the … Read more

Caspar Johann Nepomuk Scheuren (1818-1887)

The Castle by the Sea Düsseldorf, 1858 Watercolour over pen and pencil, partly heightened with white and gold 47.2 x 60.5 cm This depiction of Ludwig Uhland’s poem of the same name creates an atmosphere of melancholy and nostalgia typical of Romantic art. The king and queen, dressed in black in the middle frame, are … Read more

Ascribed to Jan de Beer (about 1475 – before 1528)

Ascribed to Jan de Beer Joseph and the Suitors (recto), The Nativity (verso) Antwerp, about 1515/20 oil on wood  137 x 137 cm This panel is painted on both sides and it formed part of an altarpiece or a screen illustrating the life of the Virgin Mary. She is shown in a nocturnal scene adoring … Read more