Madonna Hold By Hans Zatzka (austrian 1859-1945)

Our painting with the Virgin and Child is a typical religious painting by the famous Austrian painter Hans Zatzka (1859- Vienna -1945). It was signed by the artist under one of his famous pseudonyms "H.Ballheim". This pseudonym is one of several pseudonyms adopted by the artist Hans Zatzka to circumvent the exclusionary contracts of many 19th century artists.
Art dealers and galleries forced their artists to sign. It was not uncommon for popular artists to have contracts at various galleries under different names; this allowed them to offer their works in different venues without breaking any legally binding contractual agreements. This gave them the opportunity to make more sales. Today, his paintings fetch remarkable prices on the international art auction market. Hans Zatzka studied from 1877 to 1882 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under Christian Griepenkerl and Carl von Blaas. As a student at the Academy he received a Füger gold medal. As a scenery painter, he favors subjects from Wagner's operas, religious and mythological scenes. Zatzka was very popular for his paintings of pretty girls, allegorical scenes with nymphs and putti, oriental genre paintings and Madonnas.

Literature: "General glossary of artists" by Thieme/Becker and "Dictionary of Austrian artists" by Prof. H.Fuchs (in German).
Inscription: signed lower right.
Technique: oil on canvas. Original frame.
Dimensions: unframed W 25" x H 31 1/8" (63.5 x 79 cm), framed W 33 1/2" x H 39 3/4" (80.5 x 96 cm).
Condition: very good.