Oil on wood, signed Kern H on the back. Inscribed and with seal KH
Dimensions: 107 x 86 x 12 cm
Provenance: Private collection Steffisburg
History:Hermann von Kern, whose family immigrated to Hungary from Germany, was born in Hradek in Upper Hungary as the son of the Hungarian camera doctor Benjamin Kern. His extraordinary talent was recognized very early on and that's why his father sent him to Theo Böhm in Budapest. He then went to see Klemens in Prague. Then he went to Carl Rahl in Vienna at the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1867 he was sent to Düsseldorf at the instigation of the then Minister of Culture, Baron Bötvös, who had recognized his outstanding talent. Before 1870He was there on a scholarship from the Hungarian government to complete his studies. From Düsseldorf he moved to Munich and worked there with his friends Defregger and Kaulbach under Piloty. Returning to Budapest, he worked as a portraitist and genre painter. In 1876 the artist moved to Vienna with his family (10 children) and devoted himself to genre painting. Initially his preference was for gypsy types, but later he specialized in humorous Biedermeier scenes and peasant types. In 1903, at the age of 64, he left Vienna and spent the last years of his life in the countryside in Maria Enzersdorf, continuing to devote himself to his artistic work and his family.
