A pair of very authentically children portraits by famous Austrian painter Maria (Mizi) Wunsch .

Marie (Mizi) Wunsch - genre painter, born on 17 July 1862 in Gersthof (Weinhaus) near Vienna (daughter of the court and court advocate Dr. Wunsch), died on 29 March 1898 in Merano, took part as a little girl in lessons of Professor Taubinger, where by the very end her sharp observational ability, her almost phenomenal research. Nevertheless, her talent was not further encouraged, although she always, with the pen in her hand, recorded all impressions and perceptions; it was not until 1880 that she found acceptance in the preparatory school of the Austrian Museum with Professor Minnigerode, Hrachowaner and in Rieser´s studio, from where, after two years of study, because of her delicate constitution, she followed with her mother Abbazzia, always promoting herself by drawing and painting, until she moved to Venice, after many awkwardness at the Academy and finally with Eugen v. Blaas, received the longed-for thorough further education. There she painted her own picture, which bears the signature of this school in the most successful way. But then, first in Venice, then in Merano, she founded her independent studio, from which a series of ever new compositions emerged, taken from the children´s life, through her sly humour and the freshest immediacy of her name a greater number of Friends and admirers who did not have the slightest idea of the painter´s inexorably growing illness won. Now the images, which were worked through in drawing and coloristic effect, appeared most perfectly elaborated: "On the Lauer", where a Facchino-like snaked-up little girl eavesms a small Donna, eating from large dudes of cherries with glowing aeuglein; the shouting fun of the "swing", the invitation of a childlike marinaro to the "kidnapping of Helena", the lamentable trio with the "disturbed friendship", the new "Apple of Paris", the victorious and timid "card players", "ant and cricket", the first "dance", archimed on the slate, which feels the "seriousness of life" and the boys´ knitting school, entitled "All beginning is difficult"; the "Audifax and Hadumoth"-Scene from Scheffel´s "Ekkehart", then last but not least "Das Geheimniß", which was the highlight at the Munich art exhibition in 1894 and copirt from the artist five more times, always in changing format and with a new psychic twist. — a theme which has to be reproduced in photography, woodcut, copper engraving, colour printing, even as a plastic group in plaster, porcelain and metal casting, still proved to be a matter of interest and, like a joyful star, its sinking life reconciled. In addition, a lot of smaller, self-deprecing character heads and figures, which then went into the world in hundreds of thousands of copies in addition to all their diminished studies in two large series in postcard form by Ackermann´s light print reproduction. Such successes embellished the early evening of her short life. Her major works became known and popularized in the "Illustrirte Zeitung", "About Land and Sea", in "Garden Leaves" and "Daheim", in Velhagen & Klasing´s "Monthly Issues" etc. in xylography and colour printing — all healthy creations, without sweets and Sentimentality, in the true, true folk song tone, faithful and genuinely reflecting our children´s life in lust and seriousness and joke, true home food without sugar

Literature: General Artist´s lexicons by Thieme/Becker; Fr.von Boetticher and " Dictionary of Austrian artists " by Prof.H.Fuchs (in German).

Inscription: both signed upper left.

Technique: each work is oil on wood panel. Luxuriousy original period gilt frames.

Measurements: unframed w 7 5/8" x h 11 3/4" (19,5 x 30 cm), framed w 17 1/3" x h 21 1/2" (44 x 54,5 cm).

Condition: in very good condition.