Josef Wopfner O/B Painting, Angel & Nuns in a Boat

Joseph Wopfner (Austria, 1843-1927) oil on board mythological night scene painting depicting a winged angel with long red hair, rowing a boat through a mist-covered body of water. The boat is filled with three nuns attired in traditional habits, two standing in a reverent pose and one sitting behind, with a winged putto seated on the stern and additional putti circling in the sky above. Signed lower left. Estate stamp in two areas en verso of panel reading "Nachlass Prof. Jos. Wopfner". Housed in an ebonized wood frame with gilt filet. Sight: 14" H x 20 1/2" W. Framed: 21 1/2" H x 28" W.

Biographical Note: Josef Wopfner is best known for his paintings of the Bavarian regions of the Oberland and the Chiemsee, both popular destinations for Munich-based painters like Wopfner. In their moods, Wopfner's landscapes are often meditative and Wopfner himself wanted to be known as a "Holy Painter." His work borders on impressionism in his loose application of paint and gestural brushwork, and many of his paintings are based on drawings made en plein air. Source: Adapted from Holz, Irmgard and Alexander Rauch, JOSEF WOPFNER 1843-1927 (Rosenheimer Verlagshau, 1989).

The Collection of Kevin McConnell, Gate City, Virginia. Descended in the family from his great-great grandfather, the artist Josef Wopfner, who gifted this work to a relative.
Condition Report: Painting has heavy grime, obscuring some details. Area of old paint loss behind angel's head near top of wing with possible old inpainting, approx. 1/4"W x 3/8"H.