Extreme rare animalistic presentation in the art: a Polar bear and cubs in an Artic landscape. This antique work was executed on the turn of 20th century. On the original frame there is a bronze plaque with the artist´s name " Richard Friese (1854-1918)". We found two almost identical paintings with the same subject by famous German animalistic painter Richard Bernhard Louis Friese (1854 in Gussew - 1918 in Bad Zwischenahn). Very similar signed version by Friese was sold on Christie´s New York on 28 Nov 1995 for 75000 € see our additional image) , another one is illustrated in the German on-line Wikipedia. Due to this facts our work is probably one of author's versions of the same work.

Richard Priebe was famous German animalistic painter and reproductor. He was born as the son of a government official. After attending school, 14 years old, he first worked as a clerk at the District Council and later at the magistrate of his hometown. He turned to painting and left the parents ´ house against the will of his parents at the age of 16. In Berlin he took up training as a lithographer at the lithographs-Anstalt Winckelmann & Sons. At the same time he attended the School of the Museum of Arts and Crafts. He spent this period together with the later very well-known humorous Berliner draughtsman Heinrich Zille.

During his apprenticeship in Berlin, he lived with his older brother and his wife, who supported the budding artist with advice and deeds. With their help 1877 he was also able to study at the Berlin Art Academy. Already three years later he was able to open his own studio in Berlin. Intensive private lessons with masters of the painting such as Paul Meyerheim and Karl Steffeck, later successor of Ludwig Rosen Felder as director of the Königsberg Academy of Art, rounded off frieze training as an art painter.

In 1892, Friese was appointed to the Prussian Academy of Arts and 1896 to the professor. 1897 he received a large gold medal at the Great Berlin Art exhibition. He travelled to Syria and Palestine, Norway, Spitzbergen (probably from where was taken the motive of our work) and Canada.

Literature: Thieme/Becker , Dictionary of Artists (in German), on-line wikipedia.

Inscription: unsigned, bronze plaque with the name of the artist , mounted on the frame.on the frame

Technique: oil on canvas. Old frame.

Measurements: unframed w 44 1/8" x h 28 1/3" (112 x 72cm), framed w 48 3/4" x h 33 1/8" ( 124 x 84 cm).

Condition: in good condition.