European & British Art
European & British Art
Property of a Distinguished Collector
Wilhelm Kuhnert
Tigers in the Jungle
Lot Closed
December 15, 05:37 PM GMT
Estimate
70,000 - 90,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property of a Distinguished Collector
Wilhelm Kuhnert
German
1865 - 1926
Tigers in the Jungle
signed Wilh. Kuhnert lower left and dated 2. 7. 10 lower left
oil on plywood panel
Unframed: 37 by 62.5cm., 14½ by 24½in.
Framed: 45.6 by 71cm., 18 by 28in.
The late Hansjörg K. Werner kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work in 2005. It is registered under his index no. 4216.
The Fine Art Society Ltd., London, by 1911
Winston Guest, New York; thence by descent to his grandson Frederick Guest (sale: Sotheby’s, New York, 2 December 2005, lot 155)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner
Winston Guest, New York; thence by descent to his grandson Frederick Guest (sale: Sotheby’s, New York, 2 December 2005, lot 155)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner
Kuhnert studied under the animal painter Paul Meyerheim in Berlin. Following the example of Germany’s celebrated animal painter Richard Friese, who advocated the study of wild animals in their native habitats, Wilhelm Kuhnert first travelled to East Africa in 1891-2. This provided him with the opportunity to study the animals of the Serengeti and Masai for the first time in their natural habitat. The demand for his impressive depictions of African wildlife led Kuhnert to return to the German and English colonial territories of East and South Africa on safari in 1905 and 1911-12.
Captivated by the beauty and excitement of the wild, and becoming an avid big game hunter, Kuhnert spent much time in the field, returning intermittently to Berlin to work up his sketches into finished paintings. Kuhnert is today recognized as one of the greatest wildlife painters, his work the inspiration for successive generations of animal painters, such as David Shepherd. As Terry Wieland notes: 'no one painted African animals like Wilhelm Kuhnert. It is an opinion that is widely shared among Africa's professional hunters, men who have little tolerance for misrepresentations' (Wildlife Art News, July-August 1991, p. 46).
Captivated by the beauty and excitement of the wild, and becoming an avid big game hunter, Kuhnert spent much time in the field, returning intermittently to Berlin to work up his sketches into finished paintings. Kuhnert is today recognized as one of the greatest wildlife painters, his work the inspiration for successive generations of animal painters, such as David Shepherd. As Terry Wieland notes: 'no one painted African animals like Wilhelm Kuhnert. It is an opinion that is widely shared among Africa's professional hunters, men who have little tolerance for misrepresentations' (Wildlife Art News, July-August 1991, p. 46).