Still life with roses in a glass vase was executed by Erich Wagner (1876 in Berlin – 1957 in Kuchen an der Fils), listed German painter. He is best known for his landscapes, still lifes, stable interiors, and rural genre scenes, which often reflect a warm, Impressionist-influenced style.

From 1891 to 1895, Wagner completed his apprenticeship as a decorative painter at the Berlin School of Applied Arts. This was followed by years of travel as a journeyman painter in the applied arts, working in Dresden, Salzburg, Hamburg, and Dessau until 1899. In that year, he married Auguste (née Poltier) in Dessau.

In the following years until 1910, he worked independently as a decorative painter. During this time, he also studied nude painting under Lovis Corinth in Berlin. In 1912, he moved to Stuttgart, where he initially worked for the Henninger company and, from 1919 onward, lived as a freelance artist with his own studio. He continued his studies with Christian Georg Speyer and painted landscapes, floral motifs, and character portraits. From 1920, he undertook study trips to Switzerland (including high mountain scenes and paintings of Ticino). The city of Stuttgart, the People's State of Württemberg, and private collectors acquired his paintings. At that time, he received commissions for the design of church interiors and also contributed artistically to the Linden Museum in Stuttgart. He was a member of the Reich Association of Visual Artists of Germany, founded in 1927.

From 1929 to 1939, Wagner moved back to Berlin, where he became an employee of the UFA film company. He subsequently returned to Stuttgart, where his studio was destroyed by bombs in 1943. In the same year, he and his wife moved to Kuchen an der Fils.

Exhibitions: 

1910: Hamburg Art Exhibition

From 1920: Exhibitions at the Württemberg Art Association

1927: Stuttgart Colonial Exhibition (murals).

November 27 to December 5, 2004: Wagner Exhibition at the Bürgerhaus

Literature: ThB XXXV, 1942, 31;  Nagel, 1986; Wikipedia.

Inscription: Signed andated 1922.

Technique: oil on wood, antique gold-plated  frame.

Measurements: unframed w 11 3/4" x h 14 3/8" (30 x 36,5 cm); framed w 15 1/2" x h 18 1/4" (39,5 x 46,5 cm).

Condition: in very good condition.