One Painting at Germany’s Dresden State Art Collections Loses Attribution to Caspar David Friedrich

After further analysis, one work previously believed to be painted by Caspar David Friedrich has lost its attribution.

Caspar David Friedrich was a German Romantic landscape painter, considered among the most important of his generation. He is best known for his allegorical landscapes, such as Wanderer Above the Sea (1818), which typically feature contemplative figures silhouetted against an earthy backdrop.

In advance of an anniversary exhibition commemorating Friedrich’s 250th birthday, scientists at the Dresden State Art Collections in Germany analyzed paintings attributed to the artist within the museum’s holdings. One early painting, in particular, was in question.

The oil painting Landscape with Bare Tree (1789/1799) was “written off” and shown in the exhibition “Caspar David Friedrich: Where it all began” with an “unknown” attribution, alongside of 13 other Friedrich paintings in the Dresden’s collection.

Infrared and pigment analysis revealed an underpainting that “has nothing to do with Friedrich ‘s drawing style,” curator Holger Birkholz told Monopol. Additionally, the pigments included yellow and blue hues that were not commonly used until 1810.

The painting was removed from the Friedrich collection because “stylistically it doesn’t fit,” Birkholz explained. An unnamed expert on the Romantic master agreed based on the research.

Friedrich’s early work has long been difficult to assess. Early sources say that Friedrich started painting in 1807, yet there are a number of oil paintings attributed to him from that period.

“The reasoning was always that it doesn’t look like a Friedrich and that’s why it’s an early work”, said Birkholz. “I always thought that was thin ice.”