Bidspirit auction | [Expert Examination. Professor of the

[Expert Examination. Professor of the Academy of Saint Luke.] Johann Wenzel Peter, “Hen with Chicks.” Italy, 1820. Canvas, oil. The signature and date, “W. Peter fecit 1820,” are placed along the right edge on a fragment of an antique cornice and correspond to Peter’s manner of work. Expert examination: “The work has antique and collectors’ value and may be of interest to a museum collection.” Grabar All-Russian Art Research and Restoration Centre. Size: 62.2 × 72.2 cm. Condition: very good; minor losses to the paint layer, the painting has an even natural craquelure. The work demonstrates characteristic strengths: meticulous, almost miniature painting; precise rendering of plumage and the plasticity of the birds; a clear chiaroscuro structure; and a rich yet harmonious colour scheme. The composition is balanced and well organised, with every detail subordinated to a unified decorative and pictorial concept. Johann Wenzel Peter (also Wenzel Peter, 1745–1829) was an Austrian animal painter who spent most of his life working in Rome. Born in Karlsbad (now Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic), he began as an engraver and medallist, then moved to Rome, where he ultimately turned to painting and in 1812 became a professor at the Academy of Saint Luke (Accademia di San Luca). He specialised in depicting animals with exceptional naturalism and “scientific” precision, painting multi-figure scenes with exotic beasts, biblical paradises filled with animals, and individual animal compositions for aristocratic patrons. In 1831 Pope Gregory XVI acquired a large series of paintings from Peter’s daughter, reinforcing the artist’s reputation as one of the leading animal painters of his time. His works are held primarily in the Vatican Museums: the largest group is displayed in the Vatican Pinacoteca, including the monumental canvas “Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden” and compositions with predators such as “Lion and Tiger in Combat.” His animal-rich decorations also adorn the Villa Borghese in Rome, and he painted for the Chigi and Altieri palaces as well as for European aristocratic collections, including Lord Bristol and the banker Alessandro Torlonia; individual works are also found in museum and private collections in Austria, Italy and other European countries.