Large classical still life with lobster, wines, fruits, melon and mushrooms was executed in 1880s by important German Salon decoration painter Ferdinand Wagner (1847 Passau - 1927 Munich). He was a son of an art teacher in the vocational school Passau Ferdinand Wagner senior who may not be mistaken for the Munich painter Ferdinand Wagner (1819-1891). Our artist recieved first education from his father, afterwards he studied in the Munich academy of arts under Peter von Cornelius and Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, , followed from an Italy stay in 1867/68. After his return to Germany he attracted attention with the Decoration of the former wine tavern to the Tenormayer in Munich, subsequently he received numerous orders as a decorator. Wagner acquired in 1889 the Veste dedicated up to now as barracks low house, this sold in 1907 to the painter Eduard Stroblberger, after he had fell out in the course of the plannings for the construction of the Luitpoldbrücke with the municipal politicians. Wagner moved to Munich where he passed away in 1927 80-year-old. Wagner´s corpse was transferred to Passau and was buried in the high-level cemetery. From Ferdinand Wagner´s works the wall paintings and ceiling frescos attracted in particular attention in the Munich City Hall cellar and at the German theatre, the decoration of the food room in the Drachenburg in the Königswinter on the Rhine, the decoration of the cafés of Roth and Luitpold in Munich and the restaurant Tivoli in London. In addition he made 1890/91 numerous decorations for the steamboat "Prince Bismarck". In Passau he created both state paintings in the big city hall hall and painted the city hall halls as well as from 1886 to 1890 the city hall cellar. From 1892 he was occupied with follow-up orders till 1916 with the decoration of castle Ratibor by Roth where he painted in 1894 the main painting „Thriumph of Aphrodite“. Other still preserved works are the facade paintings in the city hall of Schwyz (1891), the ceiling fresco in the new big hall of castle Bueckeburg (1895), the decoration of the big hall in the Munich Hofbräuhaus (1897) as well as representations in the tower hall of the new city hall to Hamburg (1899).Ferdinand Wagner was roofed in Passau with numerous honour. Thus were lent him honourary citizenship in 1887, the other the Ferdinand Wagner´s street and "Ferdinand Wagner Hall" in the City Hall was named after him. (Source-Wikipedia).

Literature: Thieme/Becker "Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künsler..", Leipzig, 1999., in on-line: Wikipedia (in German).

Inscription: signed lower right, on the back of the stretcher - a label of the frame producer Hans Irlbacher Munich.

Technique: oil on canvas, original hand-carved and gold-plated original period frame.

Measurements: unframed: w. 50" x h. 26 1/3" (127 x 67 cm); framed: w. 59 1/2" x h. 35 1/2" (151 x 90 cm).

Condition: in good condition, original canvas, cleaned by the professional restorer.