ÉCOLE AUTRICHIENNE DU DÉBUT DU XIXE SIÈCLE Lot n° 222

Portrait of Ludwig von Beethoven (1770 - 1827) Pastel on thick paper Around 1820 54 x 43 cm Unpublished portrait of the Viennese virtuoso, the resemblance of our portrait to other more famous ones, such as the one done by Joseph Karl Stieler (1781 - 1858) between 1819 and 1820, leaves little doubt as to the identity of the model. Absolute genius of music, pianist then composer, the man emerges here from a rapidly brushed background, perhaps taken on the spot. With his piercing brown eyes, he stares at us, his mouth pinched, his jaw square and powerful, echoing the strong personality of the model whose prodigious talent two centuries later is still alive. Symbol of his committed personality. Beethoven finished composing his piano concerto The Emperor in 1811, begun three years earlier. As early as 1809, he had witnessed the battles between the French and Austrian armies, a period which he felt was exhausting and devastating but which nevertheless remained one of the most fruitful of his life.