Lot 120: Jakob Matthias Schmutzer (Vienna 1733-1811)

Jakob Matthias Schmutzer (Vienna 1733-1811) Portrait of a gentleman with a neckchain and a medallion, red chalk on paper, 47 x 36 cm, lightly fixed to support at upper margin, mounted, unframed, (Sch) Schnutzer received his initial artistic education in Bratislava. From there he went to Vienna, and from 1762 onwards he sojourned in Paris, where he studied the art of printmaking under Johann Georg Wille. Upon his return to Vienna he founded the Kupferstichakademie (Academy of Engraving) in 1766, having been its director from 1767 onwards. His portrait drawings were mainly executed in red chalk and distinctly reveal his French education. Unlike such artists as Greuze, Bouchardon or Van Loo, Schmutzer's work is purely based on a graphic concept, translating elements of printmaking into drawing. A more elaborate version of the present drawing is preserved in the Academy of Fine Arts of Vienna (Inv. 12139). Our drawing could therefore be a preliminary sketch outlining the basic composition and the sitter's physiognomy. Provenance: A. Klein Collection (Lugt 2786 b)