catalog text
HERMANN DAVID SALOMON CORRODI
Italian, 1844-1905
Bucolic Landscape of Shepherds Caring for an Injured Lamb (1868)
Oil on canvas | signed lower left "H. Corrodi Roma 68"
Item # C104501
A brilliant genre composition capturing a family of shepherds as they tend to the wounded leg of a young lamb, each member of the family has a role - the father gently holds the lamb on his lap while his youngest son comforts the creature, watching his father intently as he empathizes entirely with the injured creature. The eldest son holds a brown sheep at bay while studying the way his father wraps the leg - he is absorbing the demonstration as his father leans towards him to help him see every aspect of how the leg is being cared for. The middle son is preparing fresh bandages in the pool of water below, but looks to his older brother with perhaps a hint of envy as he is left out of the details of the instruction.
The idyllic landscape juxtaposes exceptional story-telling, a very fine example that showcases Corrodi's uncanny ability to blend the genre and the landscape qualities with equal competence. It is luminous and draws the eye in with a complex vortex of foliage encircling the group as a thin ray of light pierces the translucent shadows of the grove to fully illuminate the figures. In the distance are flocks of sheep in the pasture before hills and mountains at the horizon.
Typical of his work, the painting is signed lower left "H. Corrodi Roma 68". It is housed in a very fine carved giltwood frame, probably being the first frame for the painting.
ARTIST
Hermann David Salomon Corrodi was born on July 23 of 1844 in Frascati, Italy. Starting in around 1860 he studied under Alexandre Calame in Geneva before formally studying together with his brother Arnold Corrodi at the Academy under their father Salomon Corrodi (Swiss, 1810-1892), an accomplished landscape painter and professor at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. In 1872 he met Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier and Jean-Léon Gérôme in Paris, where he spent the year studying while also exhibiting at the Munich International Exhibition. He proceeded to live for a time in London where he was a close follower and guest of Alma Tadema while also becoming a personal friend of Queen Victoria. As such, he was in a position to receive a number of commissions from the Royal family for historical paintings. The following year he was awarded a gold medal at the 1873 Vienna Universal Exhibition.
Starting in around 1876 he began to spend his summers in Baden-Baden, Germany where he developed a great following among the Royal houses, selling his "Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem" to Kaiser William II. His first trip to Egypt in 1876/77 proved inspirational to the artist; he then began to travel extensively throughout Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Cyprus, Montenegro and returned regularly to Egypt. These travels feature extensively in his paintings and his reputation began to grow an international following that would include the aristocracy and royal families of France, Spain and Russia in addition to the close relations he maintained with the leading families of Germany and England. His "Storm in the Desert, Egypt" was presented at the Royal Academy in 1881 and he became vice-president of the International Artistic Association 1889-1890 as well as counselor of the Amateurs and Cultori of Fine Arts in 1895.
He was knighted in 1893 as an Accademico di Merito by the Accademia di San Luca, where he was a long-time professor, and in 1899 he presented them with a bronze bust of his father. He exhibited Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris as well as numerous exhibitions in London and Rome, where he settled permanently after his father's death in 1892 and continued to live until his death on January 30th of 1905.
Measurements: 31" H x 27 3/4" W [canvas]; 39 3/4" H x 36 1/2" W x 2 3/8" D [frame]
Condition Report:
Very fine condition. Linen wax lining. Professionally conserved and cleaned with a new varnish applied. Under UV examination, the surface shows only the most minor spot touch ups. Canvas is sturdy and firm. Painting is housed in an early (likely original) carved giltwood frame with losses, gilding wear, etc. A pristine presentation.