Description
This late nineteenth-century oil on canvas, in the manner of Johann Georg Meyer von Bremen (German, 1813–1886), depicts two young women resting on a hillside, their bundles gathered beside them. The elder figure clasps a rosary, her gaze turned toward the distance; the younger sits below and slightly forward, head bowed. The composition opens onto a distant town, its church spire rising against a pale sky warmed with orange and purple. The sky is the most commanding passage in the work: its swirling clouds draw the eye across the scene, and the light is handled with notable control—altogether a serene, contemplative image, suggesting a moment at dawn.
The painting is housed in a giltwood and gesso transitional Régence style frame—a work of art in itself. The frame is adorned by large high-relief corner rocaille cartouches that scroll around the back edge. It is further punctuated by floral bosses at the center of each side, surrounded by beaded trim and a rocaille running motif.
Johann Georg Meyer von Bremen, commonly known as Meyer von Bremen (1813–1886), was a German genre painter specializing in Biblical, peasant, and family scenes. He was a pupil of the Düsseldorf Academy, where he largely painted religious and historical subjects. In 1840, after traveling in Bavaria and Switzerland, he began to develop the pleasant genre scenes focused on incidents of popular life—especially among the Hessian peasantry—and the portrayal of childhood and family for which he became known. He spent the remainder of his career in Berlin, becoming a Professor at the Academy in 1863. He was also a member of the Amsterdam Academy and the Order of Leopold, and received medals at exhibitions in Berlin and Philadelphia.
Attribution Statement. This painting is offered in the manner of Johann Georg Meyer von Bremen (German, 1813–1886) and is not claimed to be by his hand.
With Frame: H=29.5 in. W= 26 in. D=4 in. 12 lbs.
