Käthe Kuntze: Forgotten Dresden artist (Part 1)

 Käthe Kuntze 

(Dresden 1878 - after 1928) 

Dresden painter, drawer lithographer, etcher and printmaker.

This very nice woodblock print "Sonnenflecken" for a long time was the only printmaking example I knew by this artist. In fact it was the only example of any work by her for a long time. It was published in the 2012 catalogue "Frauenkunst, Kunst von Frauen: Katalog 102" by "Joseph Fach Gallerie und Kunstantiquariat" in Frankfurt. Before you have any ideas: it was sold. The catalogue however is still available and besides the many (350) wonderful examples of very different works contains many biographical details in 200 hardcover pages (try Bookfinder.com, Amazon, ZVAB etc.. and order a copy for around 20€ .........postage included).   

This picture was the reason of my interest and research into this artist and her short biography is included in the 400 German women artists involved in woodblock printmaking in the upcoming publication. Käthe was the deaf mute daughter of a wealthy banker in Dresden and according to the few available sources she lived in the keepers-house on her fathers estate in Radebeul, a posh suburb of Dresden. And when you compare this buildings recent situation to her 1910 print: there are certain similarities suggesting maybe ......... 

She was enabled to study privately with the finest teachers in Dresden and Munich and later joined the "Künstlergruppe Chemnitz" which was in existence 1907-1933. 

In this association of Dresden painters and graphic artists we find Rose Friedrich (1877-1953) (above) and Martha Schrag (1870-1957) (below), artists I also came to know graphically from just one, a single, colored block-printmaking example. So they might as well appear here also. Rose Friedrich's "Gut mit Pappeln" is an early example of printmaking in Dresden possibly created well before 1910 and I cannot help seeing influences and similarities with Gabrielle Munter's earliest printmaking efforts and Emil Orliks Bohemian castle composition.     

And then recently I found this etching by Käthe Kuntze (below) of the "Blumenmarkt" in the heart of Dresden: the Altmarkt. She stuffed her accurate and carefully build claire-obscure composition with people in a way Paul Paeschke (1875-1943) would. 

The dark structure is the "Sieges-denkmal "or "Germania-denkmal" erected 1880 commemorating the fallen Dresden inhabitants in the French-German War 1870-1871. It survived WW-II bombing and firestorms but what remained was removed in 1949 and here it is depicted against and Germania facing the "Alte Rathaus" (old City Hall). There's nothing left of all the beautiful facades of this historic square today. 

But Käthe' artistic obscurity (obscured to me, in Google, adressbooks and most Art Lexicons she is not or hardly mentioned) is about to end with a recent discovery. More surprising woodblocks, drawings, etchings in next upcoming postings. 

In the meantime if you have examples of works by these Dresden women artists, biographical or genealogical facts please send. Information on her life, career and her family is still very scarce and I hope through sharing in this Blog and soon in the book more will come too light. 

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All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for friendly, educational and non commercial use only.   

        

Adoration of the Magi: An Old Master in Friesland

Peter Paul Rubens and Hans Witdoeck

Flemish Masters 

The property millionaire and racehorse owner Major Alfred Ernest Allnatt (1889-1969) bought this version The Adoration of the Magi by Flemish Master Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) at Sotheby’s in 1959 for a then world-record price of £250,000 from the estate of the Duke of Westminster. 

Two years later, in 1961 he offered the painting to King’s College, Cambridge. King’s College accepted “this munificent gift” with the intention of displaying the painting in the chapel, possibly as an altarpiece.

This version (he did 4) of The Adoration of the Magi was originally painted by Rubens in 1634 for the Convent of the White Nuns at Louvain in Belgium. It measures 4.2 metres high by 3.2 metres wide. In June 1974, the painting was damaged by vandals who used a coin to scratch the initials “IRA” in 2-foot-high (0.61 m) letters across the front.

The Chapel of King’s College is one of the most popular tourists attractions in Cambridge, and is known throughout the world for the Christmas Eve Service of Nine Lessons and Carols.

Hans Witdouck (Witdoek, Witdouc) (1605 – prob. around 1642) was an engraver and a student of Rubens, the two artists working closely together in Rubens Antwerp studio. Witdouck devoted his short life copying the Old Masters and Rubens in particular. It is suggested he died shortly after his marriage in 1642 because all traces of his stay on our planet end. The  engraved, and mirrored copy is dated 1638 so created very shortly after the painting was finished. 

This engraving (32 x 46 cm.) found its way to me not long ago. It looks almost new and very fresh and my first idea was it was a "Facsimile", or replica, using the original plate or maybe even digitally produced. But I could not find any examples of prints by Witdouck/Rubens produced in modern times or information about the whereabouts of the original plates used by Hans Witdouck. Many of his spectacular and very fine prints, admired in his life time engravings, can be found Googling, but not  this particular version of Rubens “Adoration”.

Closely examing the borders of the sheet and the indentation the plate left when it was pressed into the paper it is not showing the “grid” as in hand pulled sheets of papers of the period, another suggestion came to mind. Could the original print be professionally restored to its former glory and the original  paper “doubled” ? 

It is nice to see Witdouck stayed very close to the original but was allowed (by Rubens probably) to use a free hand making the best of Witdoecks extraordinary skills turning a color painting in a black and white tones engraving. 

I have no expertise in these old Matters & Masters but I love a good story and, a romantic by heart, I cherish this Old Master engraving now in my humble possesion until someone comes along who can tell me more, end the dream, or might be interested in trading or exchanging. If it has undergone restauration it must have been a costly affair ordered by someone who loved the engraving and/or knew its “value or importance". The old frame suggesting it may be done in the late 1970's.

This print has probably been in the possesion of Belgian Jesuit priest Jan Daeleman (Turnhout 1922 - 2014 Heverlee-Leuven). His name is related to several publications concerning Congo linguistic studies in the 1960-70's). Heverlee (B.) is the seat of the Evangelical Theological Faculty. 

From todays posting onward occasionally interesting prints may appear that may be available for suggestions of friendly exchange. The decision has been finally made to reduce my collection to works by German woman printmakers born in the 19th century. They are also the subject of the upcoming publication: some 400 short biographies of pioneering German women printmakers active 1900-1940. 

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All pictures and information borrowed freely from the Internet for friendly, educational and non commercial use only.

All pictures embiggen by mouse-click. 

Heinrich Carl, unknown American printmaker

Every now and then a complete unknown printmakers emerges from the past. Recently some prints by one Heinrich Carl surfaced in American Ebay. They all seem to be in not to good condition, all suffering from severe cases of spotting: "foxing", due to cheap paper and/or mold. 

Other then his very German name, Heinrich Carl, there's nothing biographical to be found in the Internet. So maybe sharing all prints I was able to find in the Internet and asking the help of readers of this Blog will shed some light on this printmaker. 

Did he learn to make prints like this in Germany or in America ? Was he a native American or an immigrant ? 

I have a hunch he learned printmaking from Pedro the Lemos (above) who I discussed in the earlier years (2011) of this Blog (follow the label). His books after a century are still a must for every print enthousiast and are easily and cheaply available and obtainable (use: bookfinder.com)  

For the occasion and display I corrected the perspective distortions of the auction pictures, made color and exposure improvements with Photoshop and I removed the brown spots of one of the nicest, the three crows on ice.

He was able to create prints using different techniques but, personally, I like the penguins and crows best. 

  

Winslow Homer ?

Please send all information on Heinrich Carl for sharing. 

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All pictures embiggen by mouse-click

All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for friendly, educational and non commercial use only.