painting of Franz krüger

Dear Amir,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

The presented object appears to be an oil on canvas painting, depicting a village scene (perhaps a wedding?) in winter. The painting measures approximately 116 x 92cm and has been attributed to the German painter Franz Krüger (1797-1857) due to the presence of the signature "Krüger" and the date "1841" in the bottom right corner of the composition. This piece is in good condition and no severe damage is visible in the images provided.

In my opinion, the attribution to Franz Krüger is inaccurate. This artist was also called "Pferde-Krüger," which translates to "Horse-Krüger" because of his many depictions of horses and military scenes. Though active in 1841, Franz Krüger was a court painter and member of the academy in Berlin. He was invited to Imperial Russia by Tsar Nicholas in 1844. Such a common "genre" painting would not be typical of his usual style and choice of subject matter.

It is possible to that the work could be attributed to another artist named Krüger who was active in 1841. One option to consider would be Carl Johann Heinrich Krüger (German, 1812-1880): https://www.artnet.com/artists/carl-johann-heinrich-kruger/

Unfortunately, attribution research is not included within the scope of this online appraisal, so I've provided a valuation of the painting as an unattributed 17th Century German genre painting. If you would like to explore the possibility that the work might be attributed to a specific artist, which may or may not impact the value, I would recommend that you get in touch with our authentication team by email at [email protected].

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know in the comments below. Thank you!

Kind regards,
Anne