Artwork
Baron Alexander von Humboldt
Baron Alexander von Humboldt is an oil painting by the Realist artist Julius Schrader. It dates from 1859 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
painting titled "Baron Alexander von Humboldt" by Julius Schrader, 1859, oil on canvas, part of Metropolitan Museum of Art collection.
painting titled "Baron Alexander von Humboldt" by Julius Schrader, 1859, oil on canvas, part of Metropolitan Museum of Art collection. It is a portrait depicting the famed naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt, emphasizing his status as a statesman of science. The work likely conveys his intellectual authority through formal attire and composed pose, reflecting 19th‑century portrait conventions that celebrate learned individuals.
The painting’s iconography includes scholarly props such as books or instruments implied by context, symbolizing his contributions to geography and natural science. It represents Humboldt as a cultured figure embodying Enlightenment curiosity and national pride.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1859 by Julius Schrader, this portrait of Baron Alexander von Humboldt is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 158.8 cm in height and 138.1 cm in width, classifying it as a large-scale formal portrait. As a painted representation, the piece utilizes traditional oil media applied to a woven fabric support, a standard combination for nineteenth-century academic portraiture.
The composition focuses entirely on the figure of the man, adhering to the conventions of the portrait genre without additional narrative elements described in the available records.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Baron Alexander von Humboldt by Julius Schrader was created in 1859, executed in oil paint on canvas. According to Wikidata records, the work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains held and on display. No information is available regarding the original commission, the circumstances of its creation, or the chain of ownership prior to its acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The painting is housed in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is listed as part of the museum’s holdings, though the specific accession or inventory number is not disclosed in the documented records. Created in 1859 by Julius Schrader, the oil on canvas portrait measures 158.8 by 138.1 centimeters.
No exhibition history for this work appears in the sources consulted, indicating that it has not been featured in publicly recorded exhibitions up to the information available.
Overview
Julius Friedrich Antonio Schrader, a German painter, completed this oil-on-canvas portrait of Baron Alexander von Humboldt in 1859. The work captures the renowned German naturalist and explorer in a detailed, straightforward manner characteristic of the Realist movement. This painting is currently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, offering a significant representation of its subject and the artist's style.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Julius Friedrich Antonio Schrader (16 June 1815 – 16 February 1900) was a German painter, associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting.
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