Lot 228: u - MORITZ DANIEL OPPENHEIM 1800-1882

THE BAR-MITZVAH DISCOURSE

measurements
8 1/4 by 9 3/8 in.

alternate measurements
21 by 24 cm.

oil on panel

Condition Note:

In excellent condition. Varnish is a bit darkened. Under uv: Minor touches in-painting along lower edge and tiny bit at the top left edge. One other tiny spot top right

We are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described in our catalogue. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSION CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Painted in 1869

LITERATURE

Georg Heuberger and Anton Merk, Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, Frankfurt on Main, 2000, no. VI. 16, p. 285, illustrated

NOTE

Moritz Daniel Oppenheim is one of the most notable Jewish painters of the 19th century. His works reflect the emancipation of the Jewish bourgeoisie in Germany and its quest for identity and tradition. Born in Hanau in 1800, Oppenheim studied at the Munich Academy of Fine Art and traveled to Paris and Rome, where he worked with Overbeck and the Nazarenes.

Returning to Germany in 1825, Oppenheim painted biblical scenes, genre subjects and society portraits. His portraits of Emperor Joseph II and Jewish notables including the Rothschilds established his reputation as the foremost Jewish artist of the 19th century. Between 1865 and 1875 Oppenheim devoted himself to depictions of traditional Jewish family life drawing upon memories of people and places from his childhood. These idealized images were intended to give German Jews a glimpse of their past in an attempt to preserve tradition in a rapidly changing world.

The present painting is most likely a study for an oil of the same subject, now lost, as is the case of almost one third of Oppenheim's oeuvre. A related oil en grisaille is in the Jewish Museum, New York. Although the Jewish Museum version is rendered in much greater detail than our painting, this spontaneous and direct study captures all the essential elements of a beloved subject: Returning from the synagogue where he has been called to the Torah for the first time, the Bar Mitzvah boy delivers an address on a biblical or ethical theme, surrounded by his attentive family and close friends. All 11 figures which appear in the grisaille version are included here, and the artist renders their features with great expressivness. The family's status is reflected in the decoration of the room and in the mother's resplendent white dress and cap, a single red shoe peeking from beneath her robe. The subtle colors of the composition cast a warm glow over the entire scene.