Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 1924.
Signature: E v Gebhardt 1924

Born the son of a pastor in Järva-Jaani, Eduard von Gebhardt (1838-1925) became a well-known professor at the Düsseldorf Academy of Arts, which holds an important place in Estonian art history. He was one of the most important practitioners of Lutheran religious painting in Germany in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of his best-known works is the altarpiece “Christ on the Cross” (1866) in Tallinn Cathedral and the “Memorial Sermon” owned by the Art Museum of Estonia.

Gebhardt’s realistic paintings are captivating for their narrative nature, as is this work, which has also been called “Christ’s Farewell to Tobias,” but since Tobit and his son Tobias appear in the Old Testament, not the New, it can be assumed that this is not a specific Biblical story. Gebhardt also incorporates a landscape view bathed in sunset into the work, making the painting even more versatile and enjoyable.

Text: Katre Palm