Lot 475: George Sturm (Vienna 1855-1923 Wageningen)

George Sturm (Vienna 1855-1923 Wageningen)
The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis
signed and dated twice 'G. Sturm 1892' (lower left)
oil on canvas, oval, unframed
333 x 493 cm.
A ceiling decoration

J.B. Bedaux, George Sturm en het topstukken-beleid van de Gemeente Den Haag, verwikkelingen rond een negentiende-eeuws plafondstuk, Jong Holland, 2 (1992) 8, pp. 4-5, ill.

City hall, The Hague.
Anonymous sale; Christies, Amsterdam, 22 April 1992, lot 242.

Christie’s charges a premium to the buyer on the Hammer Price of each lot sold at the following rates: 29.75% of the Hammer Price of each lot up to and including €20,000, plus 23.8% of the Hammer Price between €20,001 and €800.000, plus 14.28% of any amount in excess of €800.000. Buyer’s premium is calculated on the basis of each lot individually.
The present lot once formed an integral part of the decorative scheme of the old city hall in The Hague. The new painting was a replacement for an allegorical ceiling decoration which was made by Jacob de Wit in 1738, commissioned by the Magistrate of The Hague for the Schepenkamer of the City Hall. In 1854 this room was taken into use for wedding ceremonies and on the 5th of January 1892 George Sturm was commissioned to redecorate the ceiling for 3.800 guilders. While decorating the ceiling Sturm took into account the function of the room and choose for a wedding allegory. A wedding couple is depicted surrounded by putti, kneeling before Pallas Athena and Venus and the three graces. The artist wanted to refer to love and wisdom as a base for a good marriage. In 1937 Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard were married under Sturms ceiling decoration. During the restoration of the City Hall in the 1960s and 1970s the ceiling decoration was removed and sold by the City.

George Sturm was an Austrian artist who worked in The Netherlands for many years. He began teaching at the Rijkschool for applied arts in Amsterdam in 1882. Besides portraits he painted decorations for the Gallery of Honour and the portal of the Rijksmuseum; And the Central Station in Amsterdam and the university of Utrecht.