Johann-Oswald HARMS (Hamburg 1643 - 1708 Brunswick)
A publication concerning the German artist Johann-Oswald HARMS* is currently underway.
This artist who was born in Hamburg in 1643, travelled to Rome and Venice in 1669, and produced frescoes, stage sets, watercolours, drawings, engravings and landscape paintings enlivened with figures and architecture, nonetheless remains relatively unknown.
· Johann-Oswald HARMS (Hamburg 1643 - Brunswick 1708)
Landscape with Figures and Architectural Decor
Oil on canvas
48.5 x 57.9 cm. (19 1/8 x 22 13/16 in.)
Paris, Artcurial Sale, June 15th, 2004, lot 218
Until recently, very few paintings were known by this artist, but over the past 20 years, a vast research effort has made it possible for us to identify a certain number of works. In 2000, a monographed piece gave us the first leads and contributed to enlarging the known corpus of HARMS’ paintings.
In his painted production figure many rediscovered landscapes with staffage and architecture, of which a certain number are comparable to Pierre Patel’s compositions, and were already published as anonymous among the rejected works in Natalie Coural’s monograph of Pierre Patel and Pierre-Antoine Patel (Arthena 2001).
Let’s not forget to mention that many of his winter landscapes appear to have been painted during travels to Italy, Austria, and probably Germany as well. Our publication will have the merit of bringing other paintings and drawings into view, and thus will further knowledge of this artist.
* We would appreciate it if you would let us know about any work by this artist which you might own.
Translation by Christine Rolland