catalog text
BUCOLIC LANDSCAPE OF CATTLE WATERING BESIDE A RURAL FARM
Carl Weber (American, 1855-1929)
Oil on canvas | Signed lower left "Carl Weber"
Item # 106EDV09Z
A vibrant well-lit scene depicting a small herd of cattle resting on the bank of a small creek on a summer day while one milk cow stands in the water looking off into the distance. The rural barn and home beside the water's edge show signs of life with smoke rising from the chimney. Typical of Weber, the foliage, grasses and trees are brilliantly detailed with a wonderful play of light between the intricate colors.
CARL WEBER
Born in Philadelphia in 1855 to the landscape artist Gottlieb Daniel Paul Weber (German, 1823-1916), who had moved to Philadelphia for work in 1849, Carl Weber returned to Germany with his family in 1860 and studied at the Munich Academy of Fine Art. Carl studied under his father alongside his cousin, the landscape painter Carl Phillip Weber (American, 1849-1921), and the association has led to some confusion among galleries and auction houses in attributing their work.
While both men focused on landscapes with an overall Barbizon influence, Carl Weber was heavily influenced by his father's passion for romantic elements and he excelled at watercolor painting, while his cousin became a very accomplished painter of coastal scenes and landscapes with a distinctive luminist style of painting. Further distinguishing the men is the signatures. Carl Weber exclusively signed his work "Carl Weber" in bold flowing script, generally with great flourish to the W and a swirling ellipses from the R underlining the signature; Carl Phillip Weber signed his work for the most part as "Carl Ph. Weber" in a more standard block script. For examples of the differences in taste, style and signatures, view our current gallery inventory and our archives; we have carried works from both artists and have extensive close up photography available for comparison studies.
Carl Weber's exhibitions include the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (1876 through 1905), the Philadelphia Art Club (1891 through 1908) and the National Academy of Design (1881 through 1893). He was awarded a Gold Medal in 1902 by the American Art Association, received Honorable Mention at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, again being recognized with Honorable Mention at the 1895 Atlanta Exposition.
Artist Listings & Bibliography:
- E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Vol. XIV, Gründ, 2006, p. 705
- Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors and Engravers, Opitz, 1983, p. 988
Measurements: 20 1/16" H x 36 1/4" W [canvas]; 26" H x 42" W x 1 7/8" D [frame]
Condition Report:
Wax lined canvas. Surface is sturdy and stable, almost entirely free of craquelure. Varnish is very lightly dirty and eventually will benefit from being cleaned, but presently is perfectly enjoyable; a cleaning is presently unnecessary and should be postponed for as long as possible. Under UV showing greenish flare from a revarnish completed in the last thirty years, various minor touch ups throughout in low detail areas; older faded touch-ups to the upper right of the sky, scattered spots of inpainting to the sky including one quarter size area in the left-middle sky, all extreme edges of the painting with some touchups, small spot of inpainting to the water and in the lower right corner. Presents well in an attractive contemporary giltwood frame with minor edge wear.