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an oil painting of a rocky landscape with a river and trees in the foreground
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44 - CHRISTIAN WILHELM ERSNT DIETRICH (Weimar, 1712 – Dresden, 17…
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Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
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CHRISTIAN WILHELM ERSNT DIETRICH (Weimar, 1712 – Dresden, 1774) A HOLY HERMIT IN A LANDSCAPE Original canvas Bears the number 435 on the reverse of the stretcher A holy hermit in a landscape, original canvas 54.50 x 65 cm – 21.5 x 25.6 in PROVENANCE SOTHEBY’S, 15 June 2017, lot 50: Landscape with a Franciscan monk. RELATED WORKS Hermit in a Rocky Cavern, hst, Oslo, National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design (Inventory number NG.M.00076). Landscape and Rocks, a Hermit Resting at the Entrance to a Cave, hsp, Montpellier, Musée Fabre (Inventory number 825.1.43). Rocky Landscape with Waterfall, hst, Im Kinsky Auctions, 9 March 2022, lot sold for 10,240 euroshttps://imkinsky.com/ergebnisse/137/713/5/90605 BIBLIOGRAPHY Biography and comprehensive catalogue entry in Heineken’s *Nachrichten*, I 1768, pp. 127–63, and in his later work *HENEKEN C. H. von, Dictionnaire des artistes*, IV, Leipzig, Breitkopf, 1790. pp. 673–712. (Heineken knew him well). LINCK, J. F., *Monographie der von... C. W. E. Dietrich radierten, geschabten und in Holz geschnittenen malerischen Vorstellungen*, Berlin, 1846. COMMENTARY Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich, known as Dietricy, was one of the most important painters at the Saxon court of Frederick Augustus II (1696–1763). His versatility made him one of the most sought-after artists of the 18th century. His characteristic style, faithful to the artistic culture of his time, arose from his particular talent for adapting the painting techniques of earlier masters from various schools. Dietrich’s landscapes undoubtedly constitute the most significant part of his oeuvre. In this painting, influenced by the Neapolitan painter and engraver Salvator Rosa (1615–1673), the artist depicts a landscape imbued with the wild romanticism described by Rousseau in his ‘Rêveries’. The imposing rock formations, bathed in warm light, lend the landscape a dramatic and mystical atmosphere. The imploring posture of the solitary monk—who is not in the centre and appears small within the composition, kneeling—suggests man confronting a majestic natural world, a quintessentially Romantic theme. His depictions of landscapes imbued with mysticism, in which nature plays a predominant role, are undoubtedly an extremely early manifestation of the Romantic ideal. During his lifetime, Dietrich’s paintings were sold for a fortune across much of Europe. “His most remarkable works are landscapes of great beauty and a highly appealing character, appreciated, loved and sought after by all connoisseurs and art lovers. They are magnificently composed; the mountains have beautiful forms; the interplay of light and shadow is skilfully rendered; his waterfalls are deceptively lifelike; and his colours are warm and powerful; (...) in view of all this, Dietrich’s landscapes may be regarded as among the most remarkable.” (translation) in *Versuche zur Beurtheilung einiger Gemählde der Königl. Sächs. Gemähldesammlung und deren Meister*, Dresden 1811, p. 6
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About the sale PAINTINGS & DRAWINGS FROM THE 17TH TO THE 19TH CENTURY
Auction location
Auction time 10/14/2026 at 3:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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