Olga Wisinger-Florian

(Vienna 1844–1926 Grafenegg)
Black hellebore, signed, dated and inscribed ‘Herrn W. Strnischtie gew. von O. Wisinger florian (1)885, oil on panel, 17.4 x 26 cm, unframed, (W)

Provenance:
Albert Kende, Vienna, 7 March 1933, lot 326;
Private Collection, Vienna.

As Mag. Alexander Giese writes:
Early in 1885, Olga Wisinger-Florian made the acquaintance of Mr Strnitschie. Thanks to her diary we know that he was an associate at the Viennese auction house Wawra. As she writes in her diary: “Mr Strnitschie, associate at Wawra, paid a visit, I have known him for a long time already through the Künstlerhaus.” This painting, which depicts black hellebore, is probably a reciprocal gift by the artist, after he sent her two paintings on 5 March 1885 as a present: “Strnitschie sent me two paintings by Selleny as a gift.” The aforementioned date helps us in locating the painting within the artistic development of Olga Wisinger-Florian, around the mid-1880s. At that time she created her first small-format floral paintings, which she often used as gifts to friends and clients. The sketch-like features of this painting, especially in the background, are typical of this phase in the development of a new type of small flower bouquet.

We are grateful to Mag. Alexander Giese for his scientific assistance.