Lot 76: Franz Xavier Kosler (Austrian, 1864-1905) Head of a young Egyptian

Franz Xavier Kosler (Austrian, 1864-1905)
Head of a young Egyptian signed 'F. Kosler' (incised, lower right)oil on panel36 x 21cm (14 3/16 x 8 1/4in).
Franz Xavier Kosler, born in Vienna in 1864, was one of the most celebrated Orientalist painters of his generation. Kosler began his artistic studies at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste (The Academy of Fine Arts) in Vienna, studying under the renowned Austrian Orientalist artist Leopold Carl Müller. Highly influenced by Müller's work, Kosler went on to follow in his tutor's footsteps, travelling abroad to paint the Near East first hand. His richly coloured genre scenes and tender close-up portraits of young sitters dressed in traditional clothing, echo the work of his mentor. Setting off in 1886, Kosler travelled to Dalmatia, Montenegro, Albania and Egypt. Kosler returned to Egypt on several occasions, holding an exhibition there in 1894. The show was a great success and secured Kosler many wealthy Egyptian patrons, including Prince Said Halim Pasha, the grandson of Mehemet Ali Pasha, the future Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, who commissioned a series of portraits from the artist. Kosler's portrait commissions were not limited to Egyptian society. He also painted the Archduke Ferdinand Karl in Vienna and other wealthy individuals, such as Countess Palfy-Schilippenback, who sat for the artist in 1896. Whilst in Egypt Kosler made acquaintances with a number of influential European art collectors. These connections encouraged him to exhibit at the Glass Palace in Munich in 1899 and at the Royal Academy in London, where he exhibited The Blind Beggar and Vegetable Sellers, Cairo in 1903. Kosler also found fame in his home country, regularly exhibiting in the Viennese salons from 1895, and becoming a member of the Society of Artist Painters in 1901.Kosler is best known for his intricately detailed works such as Camel Market in Cairo (1889, Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseum collection in Linz); however his more delicate and intimate portraits also display an ability to capture emotion. In the present lot, Kosler draws his subject close to show just the head and shoulders of his sitter, a technique which the artist uses to great effect in works such as Nada, jeune Beduin, Sinai (sold in these rooms, 10 July 2013) and A young Arab (Bonhams, New York, 6 November 2013).