Lot 294: Karl Gottfried Traugott Faber (Dresden 1786 - 1863)

View of Dresden at the right bank of the River Elbe, the Brühl Terrace and the dome of the Church of Our Lady at the left, Augustine‘s Bridge in the front and the Catholic Court Church to its right, oil on canvas, 109 x 153.5 cm, framed, (Wo)

The present painting seems to be dated 1868, which suggests that it was completed after Faber's death by a member of his workshop and that the date was inscribed at that time. Faber was a student of Klengel and a member of the Dresden Academy. He created several views of Dresden, the present one being one of the largest. Painting the town's panorama, his vintage point must have been approximately the same as that of Bellotto's, namely the Japanese Palace. The centre is made up by the Catholic Court Church, rendered in brilliant colours, its effect being enhanced by the building's reflections in the Elbe River. Behind it, at the right-hand side, there is the grey roof of the Electoral Palace. The Court Church is connected with the right bank of the river by Augustine's Bridge, designed by Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann. On the Brühl Terrace left of the Court Church there is Brühl Palace with its large windows with arched tops, the residence of Anton Egon of Fürstenberg, the former Vice King of August the Strong. The adjacent buildings are the library and the picture gallery of Count Brühl. Directly above the Terrace, at the right-hand side, one can see the mighty dome of Georg Bähr's Protestant Church of Our Lady, which was destroyed in 1945 and has recently been rebuilt. Next to the Court Church there is the theatre that later was to burn down in the fire of 1870 and was replaced by the famous Semper Opera. Wagner's operas Rienzi (1842), The Flying Dutchman (1845) and Tannhäuser (1845) were performed there for the first time.