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Follower of Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich (1712-74)

Landscape with a River 1730-1760

Oil on oak panel | 24.6 x 36.4 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 401279

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  • Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich was first taught by his father, Johann George Dietrich (1684-1752), Court painter in Weimar, and was then sent as an apprentice to the landscape painter Johann Alexander Thiele (1685-1752). In 1730 the prodigious young artist was appointed court painter to Frederick-Augustus I, Elector of Saxony. From 1734 to 1741 Dietrich travelled in Germany and possibly the Netherlands; on his return he was appointed court painter to Frederick Augustus II, Elector of Saxony who then sent him to Italy in 1743. After visiting Rome and Venice, Dietrich returned to Saxony and in 1748 he was appointed inspector of Dresden's Gemäldegalerie. He is remembered both as a prolific painter, working in various genres and styles, from the finesse of the Dutch Fijnschilders to the courtly glamour of French Rococo. He was a populariser, producing paintings with the look of the old masters but at more affordable prices. During the 19th Century, Dietrich was disdained for his lack of creativity; in the 20th Century he came to be regarded as a talented artist, typical of his time in basing his art on past models. After 1732 he signed his paintings with the name 'Dietricy'.

    This tiny landscape has the character of a Venetian caprice in the manner of Marco Ricci or Francesco Zuccarelli.

    Provenance

    First recorded in Room no 25 at Frogmore House in 1872

  • Medium and techniques

    Oil on oak panel

    Measurements

    24.6 x 36.4 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)

    33.7 x 45.5 x 4.3 cm (frame, external)


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