Oil Portrait of Ludwig Uhland (1787-1862)

[Mindings]

It looks like a really nice painting that has been looked after reasonably well. If it is indeed an original I suspect there will be a lot of interest in Germany and I suspect a fairly high valuation. English is fairly widely spoken so I agree with Mariok that you will be able to email direct. Good luck and keep us all posted on your response.

[Oceans64]

Mario - I'm curious - You say taken out of it's frame b/c of the chipping at the top left corner? Or how else can you tell?

[waywardangler]

The young man in the painting is looking less like Ludwig...

In particular, the nose, cheekbones, and curly hair seem to be different in the oil painting.

[lupose]

The young man in the painting is looking less like Ludwig...

In particular, the nose, cheekbones, and curly hair seem to be different in the oil painting.

I agree, unless this is Uhland very young (before his hair got curly? lol), I doubt that it's actually him. I guess it will only become more clear when I ask my aunt about it and contact the university.

[mariok54]

Mario - I'm curious - You say taken out of it's frame b/c of the chipping at the top left corner? Or how else can you tell?

Hi Oceans, I probably didn't express myself too well ... not unusual for me! It looks as if it either never started life in that frame, or someone had removed it and put it back, mainly because of the nails and the splitting to the wood. No-one who had gone to the effort of framing such a painting in what is quite a nice frame would have made such a bodged job of it ... only my opinion  

Is it him or isn't it? The curly hair could be a red herring, the artist or the sitter (or parents) may have thought wavy hair to be more 'manly'. What bugs me is the migrating parting !!! The two pics of the very young man do look very similar, the older ones are a bit of a worry, but comparing the mid life to the later life pics also throw up anomalies  

The University should settle this.. hopefully

[Oceans64]

Didn't even notice the nails!  I believe you are right.  They look modern (20th Century) too.

[fancypants]

Still pondering this one , lupose .

If I were you , I'd avoid trying to 'clean' any areas of your painting (unless you've very experienced with doing so) & I'd also remove the taped-on paper on the reverse of your item , since other clues might exist under it (?) .... the tape appears (from your images only) to be from the 1930's thru 1950's , cellophane type .

As to images matching the exact person in question , without any actual photos of the fellow in question ..... well .... I don't think I'd give up just yet , since -
paintings , by their nature , are based on an artists' interpretation / perception & will often vary from the live model depicted .

I think the fella in the painting is dressed like a rather fashionable 'Dandy' , from the mid to late 1800's .
The landmark in your painting is worth verifying also , IMO .

If you're equiped with the patience , perhaps you could take images from your camera & run 'em through a program , such as 'photoshop' & try manipulating them with greyscale/etc. .... sometimes this will help in areas where a sig is suspected/obscured .
Over & under exposed/lighted images may also lead to clues/answers .

[mart]

In the photos if you take into account age progression I would say its the same. Same pointed chin in all four pics. I would look at the major points. Hair would not be a telling point as it would change with the fashion trends and back then men did curl their hair. Just depends on the fashion of the day. Each pic can vary depending on who painted it.